Charting the unknown: Sex differences in spatial exploration across the lifespan

Previous work has suggested that males and females adopt different exploration styles, with females often taking a more secure, or cautious exploration approach. In the current study, females (n = 206) and males (n = 218) aged 7-77 years explored a 3D virtual environment. First, we computed a series of exploration measures that are commonly used in the animal literature (including roaming entropy, distance traveled, shape of exploration and exploratory efficiency). Taking a fine-grained approach, based on a hierarchical cluster analysis we identified three distinct measures of exploration: 1. Exploratory activity; 2. Exploratory efficiency; 3. Shape of exploration. We investigated whether these distinct aspects capture individual differences – between sexes and across the lifespan – in exploration behavior. Males were found to explore more than females, as evidenced by higher exploratory activity and a more complex shape of exploration. Interestingly, however, females were found to explore more efficiently than males. These findings suggest that even though women show more caution when exploring an unknown environment, they are more efficient in charting it. Our novel fine-grained exploratory behavior analyses further suggested that older individuals had a simpler exploration shape – as defined by lower sinuosity/tortuosity in their path – than younger individuals, while other exploration measures were not affected by age. The current novel findings thus suggest that specific characteristics of exploration behavior depend on individual differences, including sex and age. As exploration behavior is altered in several neuropsychiatric disorders this suggests that taking into account such differences in exploratory styles is crucial.