Manual training of mental rotation in children

Wiedenbauer, Gunnar; Jansen-Osmann, Petra

doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2006.09.009

Cited by 94 publications

(86 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This study confirmed the results of an earlier study [23] that manual rotation training can improve the mental rotation performance of school-aged children but the results depended on age [6]. It was demonstrated that only those aged 5 or 8 years but not the 11 years old had shorter RT in mental rotation tasks when the spinning of a hand crank matched the assumed path of mental rotation, rather than the other way round.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

The influence of juggling on mental rotation performance in children

Jansen

Lange

Heil

2011

Biomedical Human Kinetics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The influence of juggling on mental rotation performance in children Study aim: To assess the influence of juggling training on mental rotation performance in children. Material and methods: Two groups of girls aged 6 - 14 years were studied: experimental (EG; n = 26) and control (CG; n = 24). All girls solved a mental rotation task with 3-D block figures on computer screen (pre-test). After the initial test, EG girls participated in juggling training for 3 months; the CG girls participated in light strength training with theraband stretch bands. After 3 months, all girls solved the mental rotation task again (post-test). The post-pre differences in the mental rotation performance were recorded. Results: Children who learned juggling performed the mental rotation task significantly (p<0.05 - 0.01) faster, in terms of reaction time, at non-zero angular disparity than their mates who were strength-trained. Conclusions: Since mental rotation skills enhance spatial imagination, problem solving and mathematical skills, it may be assumed that juggling training enhances also other cognitive domains and is worth implementing in the education process.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

The influence of juggling on mental rotation performance in children

Jansen

Lange

Heil

2011

Biomedical Human Kinetics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Due to the study of Jansen et al (2013) and Ruthsatz et al (2013) we expected a gender differences favoring boys, which might be reduced with female stereotyped items. According to previous studies showing an influence of manual-rotation training (Wiedenbauer and Jansen-Osmann 2008) and an interference between a manual and mental rotation in primary-school-aged children (Frick et al 2009), we expected an influence of manual dexterity on mental-rotation performance. We expected that children who showed a better manual dexterity also show an improved mental rotation performance.…”

Section: Goal and Hypotheses Of This Studymentioning

confidence: 90%

“…This means that the manual task has an influence on mental-rotation performance in younger children. Wiedenbauer and Jansen-Osmann (2008) showed that a manual-rotation training, which lasted one hour, improved mentalrotation performance in ten-years-old children. In this manual-rotation training, children rotated a joystick, which was coupled with the presentation of one item on the screen.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Influencing Mental-Rotation with Action-based Gender-Stereotyped Objects—The Role of Fine Motor Skills

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present study investigated the influence of manual dexterity and gender on mental-rotation performance with action-based stereotyped items. Twenty five girls and 25 boys of fourth grade solved a chronometric mental-rotation test with actionbased gender stereotyped items. Furthermore, manual dexterity was measured. Results showed that instead of gender, manual dexterity and the stereotyped nature of the action-based items influenced mental-rotation performance. A correlation analysis suggests that this result holds true for boys but not for girls. Overall, findings confirm the relation between perception and action, which both develop early in life. Results are discussed with regard to the kind of mental transformation that is required (object based vs. egocentric) and the effect of gestures on mental-rotation performance.

show abstract

“…Interestingly, these studies have suggested that the effects of action on cognition decrease over development. Other studies have shown that 10-year-olds' MR was facilitated by training to manually rotate objects by means of a joystick [97]. There is also correlational evidence for an association between MR and the development of motor abilities, specifically the development of motor control in 5-to 6-year-olds [75].…”

Section: Box 3 Motor Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of mental transformation abilities

Frick

Möhring

Newcombe

2014

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

129

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mental representation and transformation of spatial information is often examined with mental rotation tasks, which require deciding whether a rotated image is the same or the mirror version of an upright image. Recent research with infants shows early discrimination of objects from mirror image versions. However, even at age 4, many children perform near chance level on more standard measures. Similar age discrepancies can be observed in other domains, including perspective taking, theory of mind, and intuitive physics. These paradoxical results raise the questions of how performance relates to competence, and how to conceptualize developmental change.There may be a common underlying mechanism: the development of the ability to imagine things and mentally transform them in a prospective fashion. Keywords: cognitive development, mental rotation, theory of mind, intuitive physics, perspective taking, simulationRunning head: DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL TRANSFORMATION ABILITIES 3 One of the most impressive skills of the human species is an ability to represent and mentally transform the shapes of objects. People can generate mental images of twodimensional shapes or three-dimensional objects, and can transform them in various ways, e.g., rotating, bending, or folding them [1]. Such flexible representations are vital for making predictions regarding the positions of moving objects, for example to avoid collisions when crossing a street. They also allow for anticipating the effects of actions when manipulating objects or using tools. Furthermore, the ability to perform mental spatial transformations predicts number and math skills [2,3]. Thus, determining the origins and development of mental transformations is a central and topical problem in cognitive science, with translational implications for intervention. However, research on this issue has led to paradoxical findings, with infants showing remarkable abilities but young children failing on seemingly similar tasks. In the present article we put these contrasting results in context with similar findings in other domains, and suggest an underlying mechanism. Age Discrepancies in Mental TransformationMuch of the previous research on mental transformation has focused on a specific kind of spatial transformation, termed mental rotation (MR), which refers to imagining a rotational movement of an object (or array of objects) in 2-or 3-dimensional space. In a classic MR task [4], participants must decide whether a rotated image is the same as a comparison image, or its mirror image. In developmental research, this paradigm has been adapted for the use with children and even infants, with oddly contrasting results. Studies with Preschoolers and Young ChildrenRunning head: DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL TRANSFORMATION ABILITIES 4 Although Marmor [5,6] found that 4-to 5-year-olds were able to perform MR, there has been controversy about her conclusions [7]. A follow-up study employing the same procedure with different stimuli failed to replicate Marmor's results [8]. Other studie...

show abstract

Manual training of mental rotation in children

Cited by 94 publications

References 50 publications

The influence of juggling on mental rotation performance in children

The influence of juggling on mental rotation performance in children

Factors Influencing Mental-Rotation with Action-based Gender-Stereotyped Objects—The Role of Fine Motor Skills

Development of mental transformation abilities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About