Using self-report assessment methods, the present study examined affective factors that influenced the gender specific use of a survey-based orientation strategy and landmark-based route-finding strategy in an unfamiliar environment. First, we analyzed the role of early navigation experiences and the influence of early parental attachment (emotional warmth, overprotection and rejection) on way finding strategy. Second, the study analyzed the intercorrelations between way finding strategies and fear-related avoidance behavior and anxiousness.

Three hundred and sixteen male and female students were recruited in a study to analyze the relationships between navigation strategies, fears, early parental childrearing behavior and navigation experiences. We proposed that use of navigation strategy depends on not only the physical features of the current environment and the participants’ gender, but also fears of closed and opened spaces and types of perceived parental childrearing behavior.

We found that when exploring strange places, females used a route-finding strategy in contrast to males who used an orientation strategy for exploring a strange environment. Fear enhanced the preference for a route-finding strategy in both females and males. A route-finding strategy was associated with agoraphobic scores in females and with social fears in males. Perceived rejection from father and emotional warmth from mother together induces usage of route-finding navigation strategy.

The family background influence on the capability to have personal experiences in unfamiliar environment and to cope with fears and behavioral avoidance in strange opened and closed places.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.