Poster #33 - Mental rotation ability of children treated for infantile esotropia

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Cognitive Processes

Integrative Statement

Several studies have demonstrated a link between motor development and spatial cognitive abilities, especially mental rotation skills in typically developing children (e.g. Jansen & Heil, 2010), suggesting implications for children with motor deficits. Until now, only few studies have addressed the development of mental rotation skills. They examined children with reduced motor abilities due to spina bifida or overweight, uncovering deficits in mental rotation abilities in those children (e.g. Jansen-Osmann, Wiedenbauer & Heil, 2008; Jansen, Schmelter, Kasten & Heil, 2011). Therefore, it was the aim of the present study to investigate the development of mental rotation skills in another group of children with reduced motor abilities: children treated for infantile esotropia (e.g. Dillmann et al., 2017).
Our sample consisted of 17 (9 boys, 8 girls) children treated for infantile esotropia (m = 6.58 years, SD=.65) and 12 (7 boys, 5 girl) typically developing children (m = 6.74 years, SD = .36). All strabismic children were tested after eye muscle surgery (mean angle prior to surgery m= 22.16°; mean angle after surgery m = 2.41°). Motor skills were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC-2; Petermann, 2011), and mental rotation skills were measured using a Picture Mental Rotation Task (BiRT; Marke, 2008, see Figure 1).
Our results demonstrated lower total motor scores, F(1, 25) = 10.599; p = .003, ηp2= .298, reduced manual dexterity abilities, F (1, 25) = 14.333, p = .001, ηp2= .364, and reduced ball skills, F(1,25) = 5.157, p = .032, ηp2= .171, in the group of children treated for infantile esotropia in comparison to the group of typically developing children. Moreover, both groups showed comparable mental rotation performance in terms of errors, F(1, 25) = 0.010, p =.920. However, the time required to mentally rotate the pictures was significantly longer in the group of children treated for infantile esotropia, F(1, 25)= 14.694, p = .001, ηp2= .370. Additionally, boys needed significantly less time to mentally rotate the pictures across both groups, F(1, 25)= 29.393, p < .001, ηp2= .540. Finally, we found a significant interaction between the factors group and gender, F(1, 25) = 8.861, p = .006, ηp2= .262, indicating that the strabismic girls needed the longest time to mentally rotate the pictures correctly (see Figure 2).
Taken together, our findings showed differences in both motor ability and mental rotation speed. The strabismic children, especially the girls, needed significantly more time to mentally rotate the pictures correctly. Additionally, our results verified a link between motor development and spatial cognitive abilities, especially mental rotation skills in children treated for infantile esotropia. However, future studies are needed to clarify whether the observed deficits persist through childhood. If so, some kind of a motor training, for example juggling (e.g. Lehman & Jansen, 2012), might be beneficial to improve motor and mental rotation skills in children with strabismus.

Authors

• Julia Dillmann, Department of Developmental Psychology, Justus Liebig university Giessen
  Presenting Author

• Annemarie Schmitt, Department of Developmental Psychology, Justus Liebig university Giessen
  Non-Presenting Author

• Birgit Lorenz, Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Giessen
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gudrun Schwarzer, Department of Developmental Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen
  Non-Presenting Author