Training mental rotation skills to improve spatial ability
Training mental rotation skills to improve spatial ability
Prior research indicates that spatial skills, such as Mental Rotation Skills (MRS), are a strong predictor for mathematics achievement. Other studies have shown that MRS can be instilled through training and that they are a good predictor of another spatial skill: route learning and wayfinding skills. This paper explores these assumptions and reports an experiment with 43 undergraduate psychology students from a university in the south of England. Participants were randomly assigned to two conditions. Both groups were given pre- and post-tests on wayfinding in a maze. The intervention group trained with a MRS tool, based on a standardised MRS task. The control group did filler tasks by completing crossword puzzles. Collectively, the 43 students made 43×48=2064 assessment items for MRS, and 2×43=86 mazes. Although the intervention group showed a decrease in time needed to do the maze task, while the control group saw an increase, these changes were not significant.
Bokhove, Christian
7fc17e5b-9a94-48f3-a387-2ccf60d2d5d8
Redhead, Edward
d2342759-2c77-45ef-ac0f-9f70aa5db0df
27 March 2017
Bokhove, Christian
7fc17e5b-9a94-48f3-a387-2ccf60d2d5d8
Redhead, Edward
d2342759-2c77-45ef-ac0f-9f70aa5db0df
Bokhove, Christian and Redhead, Edward
(2017)
Training mental rotation skills to improve spatial ability.
BSRLM Proceedings, 36 (3).
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Abstract
Prior research indicates that spatial skills, such as Mental Rotation Skills (MRS), are a strong predictor for mathematics achievement. Other studies have shown that MRS can be instilled through training and that they are a good predictor of another spatial skill: route learning and wayfinding skills. This paper explores these assumptions and reports an experiment with 43 undergraduate psychology students from a university in the south of England. Participants were randomly assigned to two conditions. Both groups were given pre- and post-tests on wayfinding in a maze. The intervention group trained with a MRS tool, based on a standardised MRS task. The control group did filler tasks by completing crossword puzzles. Collectively, the 43 students made 43×48=2064 assessment items for MRS, and 2×43=86 mazes. Although the intervention group showed a decrease in time needed to do the maze task, while the control group saw an increase, these changes were not significant.
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BSRLM-CP-36-3-02
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BSRLM-CP-36-3-02
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Accepted/In Press date: 23 February 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 November 2016
Published date: 27 March 2017
Venue - Dates:
British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics Day Conference, University of Brighton, Brighton, United Kingdom, 2016-11-12 - 2016-11-12
Organisations:
Cognition, Mathematics, Science & Health Education
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Local EPrints ID: 407203
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/407203
PURE UUID: 8bab5342-fc4a-4d15-9a2d-418b4c935724
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Date deposited: 01 Apr 2017 01:05
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:12
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