Sex differences in speed of solving mental rotation problems were replicated but college men and women were alike in frequency of use of algorithms to solve problems. The most frequent algorithm involved encoding stimuli in working memory, mental rotation of one to orientation of the other, comparison, and response. (Author/RD)

This study examines the Wheatley Cube as a measure of spatial/visualization ability. The Wheatley Cube is a computer managed task which requires the subject to visualize a three-dimensional workspace and to find an invisible dot located within this space. Thirty-three undergraduate students were administered four tests of spatial/imaginal ability…

Strategic differences in spatial tasks are explained in terms of different cognitive coordinate systems that subjects adopt such as standard versus arbitrary, task-defined axes. A theoretical account of mental rotation of individuals of low and high spatial ability solving problems from psychometric tests is instantiated as computer simulation…

This experiment was designed to investigate effect of verbal instruction alone vs. verbal instruction complemented by simple line drawings; effect of visual testing vs. nonvisual testing; effect of verbal cued vs. free recall on student achievement; effect of order of testing on subsequent achievement; and interaction among type of instruction,…

A systematic research program will study the cumulative effects of selected instructional variables on learning a spatial visualization task. The goal of the research is to identify instructional variables that will improve the performance of female students on the Aircraft Instrument Comprehension (AIC) test. The AIC program is intended to teach…

Four factors have been reported in the literature as being related to spatial test performance. This study investigated the main and interaction effects of sex, handedness, birth order, and experience on three different types of spatial performance; surface development, object rotation, and coordination of viewpoints. A total of 217 undergraduate…

Meta-analysis techniques were used to summarize the results concerning gender differences reported in doctoral dissertations on visual spatial skills. Dissertations were chosen because they are not subject to the selection process of journals, which may bias results toward large effects. An analysis of 150 independent data points in 43…