Poster #28 - Developmental continuity in the relation between spatial reasoning and quantitative performance: A meta-analytic review

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Cognitive Processes

Integrative Statement

Accumulating evidence from longitudinal, cross-sectional, and training studies suggests that mental rotation, a hallmark of spatial reasoning that involves the spatial transformation of mental images, is critical to math achievement beginning in early childhood (Cheng & Mix, 2014; Lauer & Lourenco, 2016; Gunderson et al., 2012). However, research examining the developmental trajectory of this association is relatively limited, as is our understanding of the specific role of mental rotation in children’s performance on different measures of mathematical acuity (e.g., arithmetic, geometry) and varying aspects of quantitative skill (e.g., reasoning about symbolic vs. non-symbolic quantities). To address this gap in literature, the present meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the strength of the association between mental rotation ability and quantitative performance across development, to characterize the developmental trajectory of this relation between early childhood and adulthood, and to identify demographic (e.g., gender) and procedural moderators (e.g., type of math task) that influence its magnitude. The meta-analysis synthesized 169 effect sizes collected from 59 primary studies and derived from 19,870 participants.

We found a moderate correlation between mental rotation and quantitative performance (r = .30, 95% CI [.27, .34]) that exhibited developmental continuity between the preschool years and adulthood (β < .01, SEβ < .01, p = .932; see Figure). Additionally, we found that mean weighted correlations between mental rotation and quantitative performance were significantly greater than zero for all quantitative measures and quantity types examined (see Table), suggesting that mental rotation may support mathematical performance across diverse measures of quantitative skill. However, we also observed considerable variability in the magnitude of reported correlations across different quantitative measures and stimulus types (Fs > 1.50, dfs > 7.19, ps < .05). More specifically, geometry tasks were found to produce larger correlation coefficients relative to measures of arithmetic and basic numerical processing (e.g., numeral identification, magnitude discrimination; see Table). Furthermore, performance on quantitative tasks composed of symbolic quantities (e.g., symbolic arithmetic tasks) was more strongly correlated with mental rotation than was performance on quantitative tasks composed of non-symbolic quantities (e.g., non-symbolic number discrimination tasks; see Table). The reported relation between mental rotation and quantitative performance was largely stable in magnitude across other procedural variations (e.g., mental rotation task) and demographic variables (e.g., gender; see Table).

As suggested by previous narrative reviews on this topic (see Mix & Cheng, 2012), these results demonstrate a moderate relation between mental rotation performance and quantitative abilities. Importantly, our findings also indicate that this relation is continuous across development, yet is dependent upon the type of quantitative reasoning assessed. The present results contribute insight into potential mechanisms underlying the association between mental rotation skills and mathematical competence and suggest potential benefits of incorporating spatial training into educational curricula. These theoretical and educational implications will be discussed within the context of the spatial development and math cognition literature.

Authors

• Eukyung Yhang, Yale Child Study Center
  Presenting Author

• Jillian E Lauer, New York University
  Non-Presenting Author