Re: Does gender have an effect on short-term memory?

To one Alexis from another,

You asked a question that people have been asking for years! Many people have looked at this question, and have gotten various answers. Some interesting observations have popped out of the research.

A big problem, believe it or not, has to do with what “short-term memory” means. Does it mean that I remember what I had for lunch today, or does it mean I can remember the best way to get home from a new friend’s house? Both have to do with remembering some specific facts, like whether the sandwich had regular or Deli mustard, or whether I have to turn left at house with the purple shutters. One might guess that they are going to be the same, and perhaps girls can remember better than boys, or vice versa.

Surprisingly, it turns out that for the two cases I just presented, girls are better than boys at the first one (what was for lunch), but boys are better than girls at the second (how to get home). It’s hard to really know why, but girls tend to remember certain facts better than boys. Boys tend to remember and maneuver around in their surroundings better; they may not remember the specific details, but remember the basic idea and how it’s organized in space.

But there are some important things to consider. First, most of the studies are done in adults. One study seemed to show that these differences aren’t really apparent in younger people, even those who are as old as 15 to 16 years old. So, at the middle school level, girls and boys are pretty much even-Stevens. Also, boys can remember some facts and objects better than girls, especially those which are typically masculine, like tools. The same is for women with things which are typically feminine.

Most importantly, one CANNOT say all girls can remember situations and facts better, or all boys can remember spatial directions better. Some girls will be better than the boys at those 3-D puzzles, while some boys will be able to remember their vocabulary words better than the girls. The best thing is to have teams with both boys AND girls, because between everyone on the team, you’ll know everything!

I hope this helps! I’ve included some articles that might be of interest. You’ll probably have to go to a medical school library to find these journals; if there’s no med school library close by, or it doesn’t have these journals, go ask your local librarian about an InterLibrary Loan (ILL).

Herlitz A, Airaksinen E, Nordström E Sex differences in episodic memory: the impact of verbal and visuospatial ability Neuropsychology 1999 Oct 13:4 590-7

Barnfield AM, Development of sex differences in spatial memory Perceptual Motor Skills 1999 Aug 89:1 339-50