Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2009. / Open access. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-103). Print copy also available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 1997. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 126-130).

<p>Sex differences in spatial ability, especially mental rotation, navigation and object-location memory are described in this essay. Biological differences in brain morphology, hormones and genes between men and women are presented as explanations for the sex differences. Another level of explanations offered are evolutionary, hence the most influential evolutionary psychological theories are summarized and evaluated. These theories are Gaulin’s and Fitzgerald’s male range theory, Silverman’s and Eals’s hunter-gatherer theory, and Ecuyer-Dab’s and Robert’s twofold selection theory. The hunter-gatherer theory at present seems to be of the most importance, though the twofold selection theory may in the future challenge it. Regardless, united biological and evolutionary explanations would create the best comprehensive theory.</p>

abstract: Multimodal presentations have been found to facilitate learning, however, may be a disadvantage for low spatial ability students if they require spatial visualization. This disadvantage stems from their limited capacity to spatially visualize and retain information from both text and diagrams for integration. Similarly, working memory capacity (WMC) likely plays a key role in a learner's ability to retain information presented to them via both modalities. The present study investigated whether or not the act of self-explaining helps resolve deficits in learning caused by individual differences in spatial ability, working memory capacity, and prior knowledge when learning with text, or text and diagrams. No interactions were found, but prior knowledge consistently predicted performance on like posttests. The author presents methodological and theoretical explanations as to the null results of the present study. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Applied Psychology 2014

Sex differences in spatial ability, especially mental rotation, navigation and object-location memory are described in this essay. Biological differences in brain morphology, hormones and genes between men and women are presented as explanations for the sex differences. Another level of explanations offered are evolutionary, hence the most influential evolutionary psychological theories are summarized and evaluated. These theories are Gaulin’s and Fitzgerald’s male range theory, Silverman’s and Eals’s hunter-gatherer theory, and Ecuyer-Dab’s and Robert’s twofold selection theory. The hunter-gatherer theory at present seems to be of the most importance, though the twofold selection theory may in the future challenge it. Regardless, united biological and evolutionary explanations would create the best comprehensive theory.

Master of Arts / Department of Geography / J. M. Shawn Hutchinson / Information dashboards are decision-support tools that pull data from multiple sources and display those data on a single screen. Information dashboards are becoming common in fields such as medicine, computer science, and business, given their perceived ability to facilitate faster and more accurate assessments by users. However, there is very little peer-reviewed research on information dashboards that support this assumption. This research focuses on applying the concept of an information dashboard visualization within the spatial sciences and evaluating the effectiveness of a geographic information dashboard, or GID, on improving user performance related to spatial thinking tasks. A review of literature from multiple disciplines highlights what is, and what is not, understood about dashboard visualizations. Borrowing from ideas such as Cognitive Fit Theory and past work in evaluating the effectiveness of map animations, an appropriate method for evaluating the GID is proposed. A Web-based GID and an alternative “tabbed” visualization were developed using the R Shiny package to support an analysis of grassland vegetation development for a site located in northeastern Kansas. A controlled experiment was conducted using a survey completed by volunteer student participants who responded to a series of benchmark tasks related to the interpretation of 6 related maps and graphs. Data for three dependent variables (task completion time, task response accuracy, and an integrative measure of performance accounting for both time and accuracy) were collected directly from the survey or post-survey grading of responses. Three independent variables and their impact on spatial task performance were analyzed, including the type of visualization, assessed spatial thinking ability, and cognitive task type. Results showed that participants using the GID completed the benchmark tasks faster and more accurately, but that a users’ spatial thinking ability had the most significant influence on performance regardless of visualization. Evidence was found to support the idea that the GID improved spatial thinking performance, especially for users with more experience in spatial reasoning, and that the GID format may improve user performance beyond what is expected based on an independent assessment of spatial thinking ability.

No description available.

Spatial ability represents our ability to mentally arrange, rotate, and explore objects in multiple dimensions. This ability has been found to be important for engineers and engineering students. Past research has shown that many interventions can be created to boost an individual’s spatial ability. In fact, past research has indicated that engineering students significantly increase in spatial ability without an intervention while they are enrolled in certain engineering courses. Some researchers have claimed that the spatial ability boosts are permanent after an intervention. However, most researchers do not check the validity of that claim with continued assessment after more than a week past the end of an intervention. Additionally, if engineering education researchers are trying to measure the impact of their separate spatial ability intervention while the participating engineering students are actively enrolled in engineering courses, a confounding variable is introduced as the courses can impact students’ spatial ability. To resolve this, the work presented in this paper reflects research on engineering students’ spatial ability maintenance during the winter break between semesters. It was found that newer students exhibit spatial ability improvement during the break, while older students maintain their spatial ability at the same level. A deeper statistical analysis revealed that there are other factors that play a role in spatial ability changes over the break that are more significant than how far students had progressed in their studies. Those factors include with academic performance, the sex of the students, playing music during the break, and prior life experiences.

The United States Army has moved into the 21st century with the intent of redesigning not only the force structure but also the methods by which we will fight and win our nation's wars. Fundamental in this restructuring is the development of the Future Combat Systems (FCS). In an effort to minimize exposure of front line soldiers the future Army will utilize unmanned assets for both information gathering and when necessary engagements. Yet this must be done judiciously, as the bandwidth for net-centric warfare is limited. The implication is that the FCS must be designed to leverage bandwidth in a manner that does not overtax computational resources. In this study alternatives for improving human performance during operation of teleoperated and semi-autonomous robots were examined. It was predicted that when operating both types of robots, frame delay of the semi-autonomous robot would improve performance because it would allow operators to concentrate on the constant workload imposed by the teleoperated while only allocating resources to the semi-autonomous during critical tasks. An additional prediction was that operators with high spatial ability would perform better than those with low spatial ability, especially when operating an aerial vehicle. The results can not confirm that frame delay has a positive effect on operator performance, though power may have been an issue, but clearly show that spatial ability is a strong predictor of performance on robotic asset control, particularly with aerial vehicles. In operating the UAV, the high spatial group was, on average, 30% faster, lazed 12% more targets, and made 43% more location reports than the low spatial group. The implications of this study indicate that system design should judiciously manage workload and capitalize on individual ability to improve performance and are relevant to system designers, especially in the military community.