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The Current project investigated whether a drawing based training regiment will improve performance on a mental rotation test involving the same figures drawn during the training. There were two experimental groups: drawing and non-drawing. The participants' responses were measured using reaction time and accuracy. The main . effects found were for angle of rotation and whether the shape was familiar or not. Shapes were considered familiar if they were drawn in the drawing training. Contrary to the research hypothesis the drawing training did not have an effect upon the participant's performance on the mental rotation task. Further research is needed to fully examine the relationship between a training using drawing and its effect on mental rotation. The results from this study are discussed with implications for fields such as architecture baggage screening and dentistry.

Understanding human spatial cognition and behaviour is not something easily studied. Many factors are involved that contribute in different ways for different individuals. Navigation and wayfinding have been used as an approach, or starting point, for such studies. Spatial abilities tests have long been used as reference points to generalize to overt navigational behaviour. Care needs to be taken in generalizing from paper to behaviour to make certain that it is a valid relationship exists.<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which certain psychometric spatial abilities tests are indicators of actual navigational decision making. The study was conducted in two phases. The navigational decision tasks were made up of four paths with two variables: length and number of turns. The participants were required to make a decision on which direction to go after being lead part of the way around a hallway. The choices were to either go back the way they were led or take a novel route along a previously un-travelled path (shortcut). Spatial abilities tests (MRT, PFT, and OLMT), a self-rating of SOD, and learning preference for novel environments were administered in phase two. <p>While efficient navigation was not explicitly required in the navigation tasks those participants making the most efficient decisions shared similar characteristics. Efficient navigators have a higher aptitude for mental manipulation (as measured by the MRT), express a preference for a more exploratory environmental learning style, are disproportionately male, and have a slightly higher self-rating of SOD. In addition to the collective set of four navigation decisions (one for each experimental path), path 2 demonstrated the efficient vs. non-efficient distinction quite well: in order to make the most efficient decision the individual must maintain the correct metric distance from the origin point and not be deterred by the passage of only half of the turns in the rectangular experimental environment.

Understanding human spatial cognition and behaviour is not something easily studied. Many factors are involved that contribute in different ways for different individuals. Navigation and wayfinding have been used as an approach, or starting point, for such studies. Spatial abilities tests have long been used as reference points to generalize to overt navigational behaviour. Care needs to be taken in generalizing from paper to behaviour to make certain that it is a valid relationship exists.<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which certain psychometric spatial abilities tests are indicators of actual navigational decision making. The study was conducted in two phases. The navigational decision tasks were made up of four paths with two variables: length and number of turns. The participants were required to make a decision on which direction to go after being lead part of the way around a hallway. The choices were to either go back the way they were led or take a novel route along a previously un-travelled path (shortcut). Spatial abilities tests (MRT, PFT, and OLMT), a self-rating of SOD, and learning preference for novel environments were administered in phase two. <p>While efficient navigation was not explicitly required in the navigation tasks those participants making the most efficient decisions shared similar characteristics. Efficient navigators have a higher aptitude for mental manipulation (as measured by the MRT), express a preference for a more exploratory environmental learning style, are disproportionately male, and have a slightly higher self-rating of SOD. In addition to the collective set of four navigation decisions (one for each experimental path), path 2 demonstrated the efficient vs. non-efficient distinction quite well: in order to make the most efficient decision the individual must maintain the correct metric distance from the origin point and not be deterred by the passage of only half of the turns in the rectangular experimental environment.

The current study investigated whether there is a relationship between the amount of time children spend in the block center and their spatial skills, as well as the gender differences in the amount of time children spend in the block center and in their spatial skills. In addition, other factors influencing spatial skills were examined (e.g. child’s age, parents’ level of education). Using a correlational quantitative design, 75 preschoolers in eight Head Start classrooms were observed three times during their free play time. An existing instrument was used (TOSA: Verdine & Golinkoff, 2018) to measure children’s spatial skills. In addition, children’s parents reported the amount of time children played with spatial toys at home. Boys spent more time playing in block center than girls, however, there was no significant difference between boys’ and girls’ spatial skills. Children who spent more time in the block center scored higher in the spatial test, and a trend emerged suggesting time in the block area might benefit girls more than boys. Child’s age and parents’ level of education were predictors of spatial skills, but they did not moderate the relationship between spatial skills and the amount of time children spent in block center. The findings highlight the potential of playing with blocks in developing and improving spatial skills. Teachers and administrators should provide more opportunities for children to improve their spatial skills, especially children who are from low SES families. This study had some limitations such as the small sample size and the limited observation time. There is a need for more investigations and experiment to find strategies to engage children in spatial play and support the improvement of their spatial skills.

The geography subject in Swedish upper secondary school is in a marginalized position with just two national programs having it as a mandatory subject. No mention of the skill of spatial thinking is made in the regulation documents from the Swedish National Agency for Education. To investigate the spatial thinking in the Swedish upper secondary school, I constructed a test that 140 students conducted. From the results it was possible to deduct that the students performed well in areas of spatial thinking that deals with geographical features like points, lines and polygons, but not so well when faced with tasks concerning several spatial facts, overlay, and mentally visualizing 3-D images from 2-D information. Males generally scored higher than females in the test, especially if only answers that the students felt confident of were counted. Students from the Natural Science Programme outperformed the students from the Social Science Programme, even though the former didn’t have any formal education in geography from the upper secondary school. The thesis argues that a larger focus on spatial thinking in the geography subject could benefit the development of both a stronger stance for the subject in the education system, and the abilities and knowledge tied to spatial thinking of the students, especially those that are lacking formal education in other subjects that train the spatial thinking, mostly mathematics and physics.

The purpose of this study was to compare student scores on geographic skills in the experimental group with student scores on geographic skills in the control group after adjustment was made in teaching methods and learning materials for verbal and spatial ability for students in the experimental group. Hypotheses tested at the .05 level were as follows. 1. Females would score higher than males on a criterion measure of verbal ability. 2. Males would score higher than females on a criterion measure of spatial ability. 3. Experimental/verbal students would score higher on a geography skills posttest. 4. Experimental/spatial students would score higher on a geography skills posttest. 5. The experimental group would score higher than the control group on a geography skills posttest. The sample was 150 high school United States History students in a medium-sized North Texas school district. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze results of the study of six classes after fifteen days of instruction in physical geography concepts. Experimental classes received geographic instruction directed to verbal and spatial abilities; control group classes received traditional geographic instruction which utilized textbook, lecture, and whole-group instruction. Three high schools participated in the study. Conclusions were that males and females did not differ significantly on verbal and spatial abilities. Values between pretest and posttest for both experimental and control groups were significant, but when adjusted for the covariates of verbal and spatial ability, control/verbal learners' posttest scores were significantly higher than experimental/verbal learners' posttest scores. Spatial/ experimental learners' posttest scores and spatial/control learners' posttest scores were compared, and the result was no significant difference when cell means were adjusted for the higher spatial/experimental learners' spatial ability. The practice of teaching geography through the use of textbook and whole-group instruction resulted in larger learning gains than the practice of using different materials directed toward different learning styles within the same classroom and with no textbook.

of doctoral thesis Title: Teaching a Spatial Geometry and Developing Spatial Abilities Using a Computer Author: Šárka Gergelitsová Department: Department of Software and Computer Science Education Supervisor: RNDr. Tomáš Holan, Ph.D., Department of Software and Computer Science Education Abstract: In this thesis we present a contemporary overview of current possibilities of using computer support for teaching geometry and the development of spatial imagination. The materials are aimed at the secondary school curriculum (for students 15-19 years old), many of them, however, could be used for younger or older students. The work is outlined as a tool and a set of teaching materials for teachers. The basic part of this thesis is a set of commented examples and tasks that can be solved by the use of dynamic geometry systems including the 3D models for these tasks. The set consists of more than 100 problems and examples with hints or answers and includes a CD with more than 300 supportive models including models-templates for creating tests. Materials include some prepared spatial imagination tests and quizzes. Some of the mo- dels serve as a tool for their design and offer automatic solution checking. We present also our own set of educational applications and games created to support the im- provement...

abstract: There have been conflicting accounts of animation's facilitation in learning from instructional media, being at best no different if not hindering performance. Procedural motor learning represents one of the few the areas in which animations have shown to be facilitative. These studies examine the effects of instructional media (animation vs. static), rotation (facing vs. over the shoulder) and spatial abilities (low vs. high spatial abilities) on two procedural motor tasks, knot tying and endoscope reprocessing. Results indicate that for all conditions observed in which participants engaged in procedural motor learning tasks, performance was significantly improved with animations over static images. Further, performance was greater for rotations of instructional media that did not require participants to perform a mental rotation under some circumstances. Interactions between Media x Rotation suggest that media that was animated and did not require a participant to mentally rotate led to improved performance. Individual spatial abilities were found to influence total steps correct and total number of errors made in the knot tying task, but this was not observed in the endoscope task. These findings have implications for the design of instructional media for procedural motor tasks and provide strong support for the usage of animations in this context. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Applied Psychology 2012

The purpose of this research is to examine the gender differences that exist when male and female participants complete the mirror-tracing task. This task was chosen because it requires both spatial and psychomotor abilities and is unusual in the sense that it has a far higher correlation with standard spatial ability measures than do most other psychomotor tests. This research will focus on looking at gender differences in speed, accuracy, and practice effects. It will also investigate two personality traits that correlate with performance on the task: introversion and anxiety. Data will be collected from three studies: Experiment 2 of Ackerman&Cianciolo's (1999) study, Experiment 3 of Ackerman&Cianciolo's (2000) study, and Experiment 1 of Field's (1998) study. The results are expected to show that males complete the mirror-tracing task quicker than females during initial, intermediate, and final assessments; however, females will exhibit greater practice effects than males. The results are also anticipated to show there is no significant gender difference in the number of errors made during initial, intermediate, or final assessment. Finally, the number of errors made during initial assessment on the mirror-tracing task is expected to be negatively correlated with introversion and positively correlated with anxiety.