Beyond Small-Scale Spatial Skills: Navigation Skills and Geoscience Education

Nazareth, Alina; Newcombe, Nora S.; Shipley, Thomas F.; Velazquez, Mia; Weisberg, Steven M.

doi:10.31234/osf.io/6snyk

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(78 reference statements)

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“…Paper folding, the assessment of spatial skills used in the present study represents just one facet of spatial skills: mental rotation or "folding" (Harris, Newcombe, & Hirsh-Pasek, 2013). This is distinct, however, from other spatial skills such as visual search (e.g., Karp & Konstadt, 1963) or navigation (e.g., Nazareth, Newcombe, Shipley, Velazquez, & Weisberg, 2019). We selected paper folding for several reasons.…”

Section: Expanding Conceptualizations Of Spatial Thinking In Studies mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial activity participation in childhood and adolescence: consistency and relations to spatial thinking in adolescence

et al. 2020

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Background Prior research has revealed positive effects of spatial activity participation (e.g., playing with blocks, sports) on current and future spatial skills. However, research has not examined the degree to which spatial activity participation remains stable over time, and little is known about how participating in spatial activities at multiple points in development impacts spatial thinking. In this study, adolescents completed measures of spatial thinking and questionnaires assessing their current and previous participation in spatial activities. Results Participation in childhood spatial activities predicted adolescent spatial activity participation, and the relation was stronger for females than for males. Adolescents’ current participation in spatial activities predicted spatial thinking skills, whereas participation in childhood spatial activities predicted adolescents’ spatial habits of mind, even when accounting for factors such as gender and academic performance. No cumulative benefit was incurred due to participating in spatial activities in both childhood and adolescence, and a lack of spatial activities in childhood was not made up for by later spatial activity participation. Conclusions These findings reveal a consistently positive relationship in spatial activity participation between childhood and adolescence. Results highlight the importance of participating in spatial activities during childhood, and underscore the differential impact that participation in spatial activities during childhood versus adolescence has on different facets of adolescents’ spatial thinking. Implications for the timing of interventions is discussed.

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Section: Expanding Conceptualizations Of Spatial Thinking In Studies mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial activity participation in childhood and adolescence: consistency and relations to spatial thinking in adolescence

et al. 2020

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“…However, recent work has demonstrated the additional predictive power of PT in addition to MR for navigation and cognitive map building (Fields & Shelton, 2006; Kozhevnikov, Motes, Rasch, & Blajenkova, 2006; Nazareth, Weisberg, Margulis, & Newcombe, 2018). In addition, PT may contribute to success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines that benefit from the ability to adopt a survey view of the world, such as astronomy, geoscience, or architecture (e.g., Nazareth, Newcombe, Shipley, Velazquez, & Weisberg, 2019; Oldakowski, 2001; Plummer, Bower, & Liben, 2016; Wai, Lubinski, & Benbow, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Spatial Perspective Taking: Analysis of Four Measures Using Item Response Theory

Brucato¹,

Frick²,

Pichelmann³

et al. 2022

Topics in Cognitive Science

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Research on spatial thinking requires reliable and valid measures of individual differences in various component skills. Spatial perspective taking (PT)—the ability to represent viewpoints different from one's own—is one kind of spatial skill that is especially relevant to navigation. This study had two goals. First, the psychometric properties of four PT tests were examined: Four Mountains Task (FMT), Spatial Orientation Task (SOT), Perspective‐Taking Task for Adults (PTT‐A), and Photographic Perspective‐Taking Task (PPTT). Using item response theory (IRT), item difficulty, discriminability, and efficiency of item information functions were evaluated. Second, the relation of PT scores to general intelligence, working memory, and mental rotation (MR) was assessed. All tasks showed good construct validity except for FMT. PPTT tapped a wide range of PT ability, with maximum measurement precision at average ability. PTT‐A captured a lower range of ability. Although SOT contributed less measurement information than other tasks, it did well across a wide range of PT ability. After controlling for general intelligence and working memory, original and IRT‐refined versions of PT tasks were each related to MR. PTT‐A and PPTT showed relatively more divergent validity from MR than SOT. Tests of dimensionality indicated that PT tasks share one common PT dimension, with secondary task‐specific factors also impacting the measurement of individual differences in performance. Advantages and disadvantages of a hybrid PT test that includes a combination of items across tasks are discussed.

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Beyond Small-Scale Spatial Skills: Navigation Skills and Geoscience Education

Cited by 2 publications

References 52 publications

Spatial activity participation in childhood and adolescence: consistency and relations to spatial thinking in adolescence

Spatial activity participation in childhood and adolescence: consistency and relations to spatial thinking in adolescence

Measuring Spatial Perspective Taking: Analysis of Four Measures Using Item Response Theory

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