RESULTS (con’t)

1. Map Reading Ability and Hand Gesturing: Predictors of Mental Rotation Task Accuracy Dustin F. Binns, Karen Bendersky, Thomas Crawford, Jessica Ollom, & Jason Stover (Georgia College & State University) Benjamin Wigert & Stephanie D. Furrer (Hastings College) RESULTS (con’t) Significant differences between gender were found for map reading (U =4.25E5, p = .000), and gesturing (U = 4.43E6, p = .000). INTRODUCTION Sex differences on mental rotation tasks (MRTs) has been a major focus of research in the area of cognitive psychology, but less attention has been given to determining what factors play a role in distinguishing high performers from poor performers. While many studies have identified that men and boys consistently outperform women and girls on these tasks, they fail to account for why some people are more accurate than others. Studies have shown links between spatial skills and abilities in computer game playing, art, map reading, and in gesture use. In adults, Okagaki (1994) found that practicing Tetris led to people performing better on MRTs; Washburn & Humphrey’s (2001) study identified that art students performed better than non-art students on spatial tasks; and the results of Aretz & Wickens (1992) showed that mental rotation was a central cognitive process in map reading. In children, an experiment testing the use of hand gesturing found that children who used their hands while completing tasks performed exceedingly well on MRTs (Funk, Brugger & Wilkening, 2005). The purpose of this study was to identify factors other than gender that predict better MRT ability. Given the findings above, we hypothesized that those who have high skills in computer gaming, art, and map reading and who are frequent gesturers would perform better (with more accuracy) on a mental rotation task. STIMULI Example 1 of a Test Slide with a Male Face Stimulus Participants indicated if the two faces were the same. Blank Screen Flash Tone 3 sec 1.5 sec IMPLICATIONS OF STUDY Studies have attempted to explain why men have an advantage in mental rotation abilities. We were more concerned with understanding what makes some people better at this skill than others, irrespective of gender. Our results indicated that better map reading skill, more gesture use, and slower reaction times are related to more accurate scores on a mental rotation task. This finding may help explain why some people are better at mental rotation tasks than others and explain the variance in mental rotation abilities within gender. Example 2 of a Test Slide with a Female Face Stimulus Participants indicated if the two faces were the same. Blank Screen Flash Tone 1.5 sec 3 sec RESULTS Participants were mentally rotating the faces, (F(1,7318) = 232.92, p = .000). 2. There were no gender differences in accuracy, (2(1) = .325, p = .299). 3. Logistic regression analyses showed more accurate scores were significantly related to high skill levels in map reading (p = .0005) and high use of gesturing while speaking (p < .0005). More accurate scores were also significantly related to slower reaction times (p < .0005). FUTURE STUDIES Future studies should investigate why these behaviors in particular would be linked to more accurate scores. Since it is not clear whether map reading and gesturing are the cause of improved mental rotation ability, future studies should investigate what exactly it is about these abilities that is related to higher accuracy scores on MIR tasks. METHOD Participants Participants were 115 undergraduate students, mean age = 20.87, SD = .47 (36 Men, 79 Women). Procedure Participants viewed a series of 64 face pairs and were asked to judge whether the second face of the pair was the same or different from the first face. The second face could be shown upright or in various degrees of rotation (60, 120, or 180. To assess abilities and behavior, a survey was administered in which participants were asked to rate how well or how often they performed the following tasks: drawing/painting, sculpting, map reading, video game playing, and hand gesturing. The responses given on the survey were then compared to the accuracy of the participants' responses on the MRT. • REFERENCES • Okagaki, L. (1994). Effects of video game playing on measures of spatial • performance: Gender effects in late adolescence. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 15 (1), 33-58. • Washburn, D., & Humphrey, D. (2001). Symmetries in the mind: Production, • perception, and preference for seven one-dimensional patterns. Visual Arts Research, 22 (2), 57-68. • Aretz, A. J., & Wickens, C. D. (1992). The mental rotation of map • displays. Human Performance,5 (4), 303-328 • Funk, M., Brugger, P., & Wilkening, F. (2005). Motor processes in children's • imagery: the case of mental rotation of hands. Developmental Science, 8:5, 402-408. • Special Thanks • The following undergraduate students at GCSU helped in running study sessions: Lauren Heath, Lauren McLeod, and Matt Ulm. • PREDICTIONS • 1. Evidence of mental rotation. • 2. No gender differences in accuracy. • 3. More accurate scores are related to high skill levels in: • video game playing • sculpting • drawing/painting • map reading • frequency of gesturing Poster presented at the 2008, Association for Psychological Science Annual Conference, Chicago, IL. Contact first author at dustinbinns@gmail.com