Poster #5 - Play Time!: Using Block and Puzzle Play to Train Mental Rotation Abilities in Children

• In Event: Poster Session 04

Abstract

Spatial abilities, particularly mental rotation, are crucial for the development of important living skills and are associated with proficiency within the STEM fields (Shea et al., 2001). Research has linked increased spatial play with spatial development (Jirout & Newcombe, 2015). Previous research has indicated that mental rotation can be improved through direct training, with children as young as five benefiting from targeted task exposure, though no formal training is provided within school settings (Frick et al., 2013; Uttal et al., 2013).
Thus far, almost all research examining the efficiency of using specific training to improve mental rotation have used the manipulation of only one type of play (either block play or puzzle play). This present study explores whether exposure to both structured block play and puzzle play over a prolonged period of time incidentally impacts mental rotation ability. More specifically, we are trying to facilitate development of mental rotation skills without direct training in a mental rotation task. Furthermore, unlike previous research, this present study assesses whether an individual’s nonverbal ability (as measured by Raven’s Progressive Matrices) relates to mental rotation performance and performance on the two construction tasks.
Twelve children between the ages of 5 to 10 years old participated in this four month study. Participants were initially assessed on the Raven’s Progressive Matrices and on a mental rotation task. For eight weeks, participants were exposed to structured puzzle and block play for 15 minutes each. Following the eight weeks of training, participants’ performance on the mental rotation task was reassessed. Participants were then exposed to the same structured play for eight more weeks and then given a final reassessment. This poster will focus on participant performance for the first eight weeks of play exposure and first reassessment as data collection is ongoing.
All participants showed improvement on both the block and puzzle task from the first structured play session session to the last structured play session prior to the first retest (see Figure 1). For the block task, all participants began the first play session at level one (building six to seven piece constructions) and by the last session, participants reached levels of three (11-15 piece constructions) to five (21 or more piece constructions). For the puzzle task, all participants started at level one (six piece rotated puzzles) and at the last structured play session session, participants reached a range of levels between two (eight pieces rotated) and five (15 pieces rotated). A paired samples t-test was run between the initial mental rotation task test and the retest looking at the difference between response times on the low rotation trials (30 to 90 degrees) and high rotation trials (120 to 180 degrees) of both tests. The difference was not significant, p = 0.12, but the overall numbers are trending in the right direction with response times and rotation rates seeming to lower in the retest compared to the initial test (see Table 1). These data suggest that even a moderate amount of spatial play can benefit spatial ability performance.

Authors

• Stephanie Grinshpun, Montclair State University
  Presenting Author

• Aria Smith, Montclair State University

• Karima Elgamal, Montclair State University

• Amanda Sandy, Montclair State University

• Hannah Sliman, The University of Alabama

• Samantha Zakrzewski, Montclair State University

• Yingying Yang, Montclair State University

• Francis Conners, University of Alabama

• Beverly Roskos, The University of Alabama

• Edward Charles Merrill