Paper Summary

An Event-Related Potentials Study on Visual-Spatial Abilities in Identifying 2D Chemical Structures

Sun, April 15, 2:15 to 3:45pm, Vancouver Convention Centre, Floor: First Level, East Ballroom B

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how visual-spatial abilities affect students’ identification on 2D chemical structures. To collect data for this study, a chemical structure conceptual questionnaire, event-related potential (ERPs) experiments and interviews were administered to eighteen university students majoring in chemistry. The results showed that students with lower visual-spatial abilities often used similar imagery intelligence and strategies for identifying 2D chemical structures as 2D figures, and it is one of the most important reasons why students felt difficult to learn chemical structures. This study suggests that ERPs technology could reflect the visual-spatial abilities of students and help further studies to explore the effects of visual-spatial abilities on science learning.

Authors