Mental Transformation Skill in Young Children: The Role of Concrete and Abstract Motor Training

Abstract

We examined the effects of three different training conditions, all of which involve the motor system, on kindergarteners' mental transformation skill. We focused on three main questions. First, we asked whether training that involves making a motor movement that is relevant to the mental transformation-either concretely through action (action training) or more abstractly through gestural movements that represent the action (move-gesture training)-resulted in greater gains than training using motor movements irrelevant to the mental transformation (point-gesture training). We tested children prior to training, immediately after training (posttest), and 1 week after training (retest), and we found greater improvement in mental transformation skill in both the action and move-gesture training conditions than in the point-gesture condition, at both posttest and retest. Second, we asked whether the total gain made by retest differed depending on the abstractness of the movement-relevant training (action vs. move-gesture), and we found that it did not. Finally, we asked whether the time course of improvement differed for the two movement-relevant conditions, and we found that it did-gains in the action condition were realized immediately at posttest, with no further gains at retest; gains in the move-gesture condition were realized throughout, with comparable gains from pretest-to-posttest and from posttest-to-retest. Training that involves movement, whether concrete or abstract, can thus benefit children's mental transformation skill. However, the benefits unfold differently over time-the benefits of concrete training unfold immediately after training (online learning); the benefits of more abstract training unfold in equal steps immediately after training (online learning) and during the intervening week with no additional training (offline learning). These findings have implications for the kinds of instruction that can best support spatial learning.

Longitudinally adaptive assessment and instruction increase numerical skills of preschool children

“…In older children and adults, spatial skills predict Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics achievement and career paths, even when controlling for numerical and verbal abilities (25,(72)(73)(74)(75)(76). Although there are socioeconomic disparities in foundational spatial skills (35,39), spatial thinking can be improved with instruction and practice (67,77,78). Moreover, training children's spatial thinking improves their numerical math skills (66,67).…”

The Connection Between Spatial and Mathematical Ability Across Development

“…One finding substantiated by factor analyses and interventions is that spatial skills are more closely related to novel mathematical and scientific content than to STEM skills that are more familiar (Stieff, 2013 ; Mix et al, 2016 ), suggesting that it may be particularly important to provide students with spatial scaffolding when students are learning a new mathematical concept. Another set of findings suggests that providing students with a repertoire of spatial tools, such as gesture, rich spatial language, diagrams, and spatial analogies, (Newcombe, 2010 ; Levine et al, 2018 ) can facilitate their spatial thinking. Moreover, these tools, as well as 3-D manipulatives (Mix, 2010 ) have been found to facilitate learning mathematical concepts (e.g., Richland et al, 2012 ; Verdine et al, 2014 ; Hawes et al, 2017 ; Mix et al, 2017b ).…”

Spatial Reasoning in early childhood

“…Bower et al, 2020). Adults can encourage children to use gestures, such as putting hands close together for small and far apart for big: including physical activity in this way enhances children's learning (Levine et al, 2018).…”