Females Scan More Than Males: A Potential Mechanism for Sex Differences in Recognition Memory

• Published in: Psychological science Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 1157 - 1163
• Main Authors: Heisz, Jennifer J., Pottruff, Molly M., Shore, David I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2013; Sage Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive psychology; Experimentation; Eye Movement Measurements; Eye movements; Eye Movements - physiology; Face; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender differences; Human; Humans; Information processing; Learning. Memory; Male; Memory; Memory encoding; Mental health; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Perception; Photic Stimulation; Psychological research; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Recognition (Psychology) - physiology; Recognition memory; Sex differentiation; Sex Factors; Sex linked differences; Vision; Visual processing; Young Adult; face perception; memory; recognition; eye movements; faces; sex differences; individual differences; Recognition memory; Memory; Sex; Male; Cognition; Experimental study; Eye movement; Vision; Interindividual comparison; Perception; Female; Face; Episodic memory
• ISSN: 0956-7976; 1467-9280
• DOI: 10.1177/0956797612468281

Recognition-memory tests reveal individual differences in episodic memory; however, by themselves, these tests provide little information regarding the stage (or stages) in memory processing at which differences are manifested. We used eye-tracking technology, together with a recognition paradigm, to achieve a more detailed analysis of visual processing during encoding and retrieval. Although this approach may be useful for assessing differences in memory across many different populations, we focused on sex differences in face memory. Females outperformed males on recognition-memory tests, and this advantage was directly related to females' scanning behavior at encoding. Moreover, additional exposures to the faces reduced sex differences in face recognition, which suggests that males may be able to improve their recognition memory by extracting more information at encoding through increased scanning. A strategy of increased scanning at encoding may prove to be a simple way to enhance memory performance in other populations with memory impairment.