Evidence for a unitary structure of spatial cognition beyond general intelligence

Divide (evenly) and conquer (quickly): Spatial exploration behaviors predict navigational learning and differ by sex

The ability to learn new environments is a foundational human skill, yet we know little about how exploration behaviors shape spatial learning. Here, we investigated the relationships between exploration behaviors and spatial memory in healthy young adults, and further related performance to other measures of individual differences. In the present study, 100 healthy young adults (ages 18-37) freely explored a maze in a virtual desktop environment to learn the locations of 9 objects. Participants then navigated from one object to another without feedback, and their accuracy and path efficiency were determined. Interestingly, participant accuracy ranged from near 0 % to 100 %. Correlations and principal component regression revealed that evenness of exploration (i.e., visiting all locations with a similar frequency) and how quickly all objects were found during exploration were related to performance. Indeed, differences in performance become apparent by the time participants found the 6th object (within the first 50 moves), emphasizing the importance of exploration quality over exploration quantity. Perspective taking ability and video game experience were also related to performance. Critically, we found no correlations between performance on matched pairs of active-passive exploration paths, suggesting that experiencing a "good" exploration path does not lead to better performance; instead, the path is more likely a reflection of the navigator's ability. Sex differences were observed, however, a serial mediation analysis revealed that even exploration had a greater explanatory effect on those sex differences compared to video game experience. Our results indicate that exploration behaviors predict navigational performance and highlight the importance of moment-to-moment behaviors exhibited during exploration and learning.

Study of spatial abilities: The role of sex, female hormonal status and emotional context in visualizing 2D cross sections of 3D objects

Our study aimed to elucidate the relationships between both biological and sociocultural factors on the ability to visualize cross sections, with a particular focus on sex and hormonal status, as well as emotional context and gender roles. While it is recognized that sex hormones play a role in shaping spatial abilities, the mechanisms remain unclear, and the effects of hormonal contraceptives, such as oral contraceptives (OCs) and intrauterine devices (IUDs), are largely unexplored. We recruited males (n = 35) and females across different menstrual cycle phases (early follicular (NCF, n = 34); mid-luteal (NCL, n = 36)) and contraceptive methods (users of OCs, n = 27; users of hormonal IUDs, n = 31). Participants' ability to identify two-dimensional (2D) cross sections of three-dimensional (3D) solids was assessed using the Cross Section Task (CST). CST was performed after an emotion regulation task involving negative and highly negative pictures. Males outperformed NCF, NCL, and OC users, while IUD users showed comparable performance to males, suggesting a potential mitigating effect. Moreover, a multiple linear regression model for females showed that IUD users performed significantly better on the CST task than OC and NCL females, and marginally better than NCF females, after adjusting for age, emotional arousal, femininity, masculinity, and testosterone. Emotional arousal, especially following the emotion regulation task, associated with females' CST accuracy and partly mediated sex differences in the ability to visualize cross sections. Our findings advocate for further exploration of spatial performance advantages in IUD users, as the data suggest that hormonal IUD use may be related to the systemic changes in women's bodies, including the brain, potentially influencing spatial abilities. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of considering emotional factors in understanding sex differences in spatial tasks.

Action Predictions Facilitate Embodied Geometric Reasoning

Task-relevant actions can facilitate mathematical thinking, even for complex topics, such as mathematical proof. We investigated whether such cognitive benefits also occur for action predictions. The action-cognition transduction (ACT) model posits a reciprocal relationship between movements and reasoning. Movements-imagined as well as real ones operating on real or imaginary objects-activate feedforward mechanisms for the plausible predicted outcomes of motor system planning, along with feedback from the effect actions have on the world. Thus, ACT posits cognitive influences for making action predictions regardless of whether those actions are performed. Using a two-by-two factorial design, we investigated how generating task-relevant action predictions or performing task-relevant directed actions influenced undergraduates' (N = 127) geometry proof performance. As predicted, making action predictions significantly enhanced participants' proof production. No evidence suggests that combining action predictions and directed actions provided additional benefits, supporting the claim that predicting and performing actions engage overlapping processes, as theorized by ACT. Gestural replays, reenactments of previously performed actions during explanations, were associated with significantly better insight and proof performance for both (actor-generated) predicted actions and (investigator-generated) directed actions. Prompting people to predict task-relevant actions enhances mathematical cognition, possibly through simulated actions of transformations on imagined mathematical objects, as revealed by increased production of speech describing mathematical operations and increased production of gestural replays. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings regarding the influences of embodied simulation of movements on cognition, and the educational implications of facilitating mathematical reasoning through interventions prompting students to perform and imagine performing task-relevant body movements.

Learning the layout of different environments: common or dissociated abilities?

People navigate in various types of spaces, including indoor and outdoor environments. These differ in availability of navigational cues, such as distal landmarks, clear boundaries, and regular grid structures. Does learning the layout of different types of environments rely on the same or diverse cognitive abilities? Do separate measures of learning reflect different abilities? In a study of individual differences, 88 people learned the layout of two virtual environments from first person experience: a grid-like maze, and a campus-like open environment. After learning each environment, their knowledge was measured by three tasks; onsite pointing, map-reconstruction, and wayfinding. Performance on these measures was significantly correlated. In confirmatory factor analyses, the best fitting model indicated separate factors for spatial knowledge acquisition of the grid-like maze and the outdoor open environment. However, these two factors also shared considerable variance, indicating that they reflect a common underlying ability. There was no evidence that different measures of learning (pointing, map reconstruction, and wayfinding) defined separate abilities, adding to their validity as alternative measures of configural knowledge. Performance of map-based navigation and path integration in the mobile navigation game Sea Hero Quest was generally not correlated with performance in the environment learning tasks, nor were self-report measures of sense of direction and spatial anxiety. Our research suggests that there is a common ability related to learning spatial layout in different contexts, but this may be distinct from other navigation abilities.

Age effect analysis of different gender groups in spatial ability test based on virtual reality technology

Purpose

The objective of the present study was to examine the impact of age and cognitive autonomy across various gender categories. Moreover, this research seeks to delve into the dissociation of diverse spatial aptitude assessments, with the aim of elucidating the intricate mechanism underpinning spatial capability.

Method

Based on virtual reality technology, this study conducted spatial ability tests on 312 volunteers, aged from 18 to 90 years old, including R-letter rotation test, S-M mental rotation, surface development test and maze test.

Results

The analysis revealed that the spatial ability of men decreases with age, but the spatial ability of women between 28 and 37 years old is better than that of other age groups. Males outperformed females in most visual ability tests, but there was no significant difference in some age groups. There was no significant correlation between the R-letter rotation test and the S-M mental rotation test, and the two tests were independent. The relationship between visual ability and orientation ability is different in different spatial test indicators.

Conclusion

This investigation further elucidates the dissimilarities in the age-related characteristics of spatial aptitude among diverse gender cohorts, as well as the autonomy of various spatial aptitude assessments. Such distinctions are instrumental in occupational preference for disparate groups, calling for comprehensive and meticulous inquiries into the maturation of spatial proficiency by researchers.

"Picture this from there": spatial perspective-taking in developmental visuospatial disorder and developmental coordination disorder

Introduction

Either Developmental Visuospatial Disorder (DVSD) and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) present with difficulties in visuospatial processing, even though entailing different degrees of impairment. Among the visuospatial domain, spatial perspective taking is essential to interact with the environment and is significantly involved in many daily activities (e.g., environment navigation and spatial orienting). Notwithstanding, no previous studies have investigated this spatial domain in children with DVSD and limited evidence is available regarding DCD. Consistent with a transdiagnostic approach, the first goal of the present study was to compare spatial perspective taking abilities of these groups, also including a control group of not diagnosed peers (ND). Secondly, the role of different fine-motor and visuo-spatial predictors on the spatial perspective taking performance was considered.

Method

A total of 85 participants (DVSD = 26; DCD = 26; ND = 33), aged between 8 and 16 years old, were included in the study. Tasks assessing spatial perspective taking, fine-motor, visual imagery, and mental rotation skills, as well as visuo-spatial working memory were administered.

Results and Discussion

Overall, our results confirmed weaknesses in spatial perspective taking in both clinical groups, with the DVSD obtaining the lowest scores. Similarities and differences in the predictors accounting for the performance in the spatial perspective taking task emerged, suggesting the possible employment of different fine-motor or visuospatial strategies by group. Findings are discussed considering the potential impact they may have both in research and clinical practice.

How Can We Best Assess Spatial Skills? Practical and Conceptual Challenges

Spatial thinking skills are associated with performance, persistence, and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) school subjects. Because STEM knowledge and skills are integral to developing a well-trained workforce within and beyond STEM, spatial skills have become a major focus of cognitive, developmental, and educational research. However, these efforts are greatly hampered by the current lack of access to reliable, valid, and well-normed spatial tests. Although there are hundreds of spatial tests, they are often hard to access and use, and information about their psychometric properties is frequently lacking. Additional problems include (1) substantial disagreement about what different spatial tests measure-even two tests with similar names may measure very different constructs; (2) the inability to measure some STEM-relevant spatial skills by any existing tests; and (3) many tests only being available for specific age groups. The first part of this report delineates these problems, as documented in a series of structured and open-ended interviews and surveys with colleagues. The second part outlines a roadmap for addressing the problems. We present possibilities for developing shared testing systems that would allow researchers to test many participants through the internet. We discuss technological innovations, such as virtual reality, which could facilitate the testing of navigation and other spatial skills. Developing a bank of testing resources will empower researchers and educators to explore and support spatial thinking in their disciplines, as well as drive the development of a comprehensive and coherent theoretical understanding of spatial thinking.

Visualizing Cross-Sections of 3D Objects: Developing Efficient Measures Using Item Response Theory

Spatial ability is important for success in STEM fields but is typically measured using a small number of tests that were not developed in the STEM context, have not been normed with recent samples, or have not been subjected to modern psychometric analyses. Here, an approach to developing valid, reliable, and efficient computer-based tests of spatial skills is proposed and illustrated via the development of an efficient test of the ability to visualize cross-sections of three-dimensional (3D) objects. After pilot testing, three measures of this ability were administered online to 498 participants (256 females, aged 18-20). Two of the measures, the Santa Barbara Solids and Planes of Reference tests had good psychometric properties and measured a domain-general ability to visualize cross-sections, with sub-factors related to item difficulty. Item-level statistics informed the development of the refined versions of these tests and a combined measure composed of the most informative test items. Sex and ethnicity had no significant effects on the combined measure after controlling for mathematics education, verbal ability, and age. The measures ofcross-sectioning ability developed in the context of geology education were found to be too difficult, likely because they measured domain knowledge in addition to cross-sectioning ability. Recommendations are made for the use of cross-section tests in selection and training and for the more general development of spatial ability measures.

Measuring configural spatial knowledge: Individual differences in correlations between pointing and shortcutting

People use environmental knowledge to maintain a sense of direction in daily life. This knowledge is typically measured by having people point to unseen locations (judgments of relative direction) or navigate efficiently in the environment (shortcutting). Some people can estimate directions precisely, while others point randomly. Similarly, some people take shortcuts not experienced during learning, while others mainly follow learned paths. Notably, few studies have directly tested the correlation between pointing and shortcutting performance. We compared pointing and shortcutting in two experiments, one using desktop virtual reality (VR) (N = 57) and one using immersive VR (N = 48). Participants learned a new environment by following a fixed route and were then asked to point to unseen locations and navigate to targets by the shortest path. Participants' performance was clustered into two groups using K-means clustering. One (lower ability) group pointed randomly and showed low internal consistency across trials in pointing, but were able to find efficient routes, and their pointing and efficiency scores were not correlated. The others (higher ability) pointed precisely, navigated by efficient routes, and their pointing and efficiency scores were correlated. These results suggest that with the same egocentric learning experience, the correlation between pointing and shortcutting depends on participants' learning ability, and internal consistency and discriminating power of the measures. Inconsistency and limited discriminating power can lead to low correlations and mask factors driving human variation. Psychometric properties, largely under-reported in spatial cognition, can advance our understanding of individual differences and cognitive processes for complex spatial tasks.

Spatial navigation and memory: A review of the similarities and differences relevant to brain models and age

Spatial navigation and memory are often seen as heavily intertwined at the cognitive and neural levels of analysis. We review models that hypothesize a central role for the medial temporal lobes, including the hippocampus, in both navigation and aspects of memory, particularly allocentric navigation and episodic memory. While these models have explanatory power in instances in which they overlap, they are limited in explaining functional and neuroanatomical differences. Focusing on human cognition, we explore the idea of navigation as a dynamically acquired skill and memory as an internally driven process, which may better account for the differences between the two. We also review network models of navigation and memory, which place a greater emphasis on connections rather than the functions of focal brain regions. These models, in turn, may have greater explanatory power for the differences between navigation and memory and the differing effects of brain lesions and age.

Persistent gender differences in spatial ability, even in STEM experts

Background

Spatial ability (SA) shows wide variability. One proposed explanation for the observed individual difference in SA is variability in interest and engagement in activities that promote spatial ability. Research also robustly shown that males on average outperform females in most aspects of SA. Previous studies have identified a number of activities that can potentially contribute to both individual and gender differences in SA, including tinkering with electronics, particular sports activities, and designing. However, the findings regarding these links are inconsistent. One way to investigate these links is to compare the groups that are intensively engaged with these activities.

Aim

The present study aims to evaluate the robustness of these links by comparing SA in adolescents with expertise in STEM, arts, and sports, with their unselected peers. We also aimed to assess whether gender differences in SA are still present in expert groups.

Methods

The data on ten small-scale SA tests was collected in an unselected sample of adolescents (N = 864, Mean age = 15.4, SD = 1.1); as well as in 3 samples of adolescents with expertise in STEM (N = 667, Mean age = 15, SD = 1.2); in Arts (N = 280, Mean age = 15, SD = 1.2) and in Sports (N = 444, Mean age = 14.3, SD = 0.7).

Results

Out of the three expert groups, only STEM experts on average outperformed the unselected group on all SA tasks. The STEM experts also outperformed Arts and Sports experts. Gender differences persisted in all expert groups, with moderate effect sizes.

Discussion

Findings support previously established links between spatial ability and STEM-related expertise. In contrast, such links were not found for expertise in arts and sports. Consistent with previous research, we found gender differences in SA for all samples, which persisted in STEM experts.

KIBRA Gene Variant Is Associated with Ability in Chess and Science

The kidney and brain expressed protein (KIBRA) plays an important role in synaptic plasticity. Carriers of the T allele of the KIBRA (WWC1) gene rs17070145 C/T polymorphism have been reported to have enhanced spatial ability and to outperform individuals with the CC genotype in working memory tasks. Since ability in chess and science is directly related to spatial ability and working memory, we hypothesized that the KIBRA T allele would be positively associated with chess player status and PhD status in science. We tested this hypothesis in a study involving 2479 individuals (194 chess players, 119 PhD degree holders in STEM fields, and 2166 controls; 1417 males and 1062 females) from three ethnicities (236 Kazakhs, 1583 Russians, 660 Tatars). We found that frequencies of the T allele were significantly higher in Kazakh (66.9 vs. 55.1%; p = 0.024), Russian (44.8 vs. 32.0%; p = 0.0027), and Tatar (51.5 vs. 41.8%; p = 0.035) chess players compared with ethnically matched controls (meta-analysis for CT/TT vs. CC: OR = 2.05, p = 0.0001). In addition, none of the international chess grandmasters (ranked among the 80 best chess players in the world) were carriers of the CC genotype (0 vs. 46.3%; OR = 16.4, p = 0.005). Furthermore, Russian and Tatar PhD holders had a significantly higher frequency of CT/TT genotypes compared with controls (meta-analysis: OR = 1.71, p = 0.009). Overall, this is the first study to provide comprehensive evidence that the rs17070145 C/T polymorphism of the KIBRA gene may be associated with ability in chess and science, with the T allele exerting a beneficial effect.

Studying the Development of Navigation Using Virtual Environments

Research on spatial navigation is essential to understanding how mobile species adapt to their environments. Such research increasingly uses virtual environments (VEs) because, although VE has drawbacks, it allows for standardization of procedures, precision in measuring behaviors, ease in introducing variation, and cross-investigator comparability. Developmental researchers have used a wide range of VE testing methods, including desktop computers, gaming consoles, virtual reality, and phone applications. We survey the paradigms to guide researchers' choices, organizing them by their characteristics using a framework proposed by Girard (2022) in which navigation is reactive or deliberative, and may be tied to sensory input or not. This organization highlights what representations each paradigm indicates. VE tools have enriched our picture of the development of navigation, but much research remains to be done, e.g., determining retest reliability, comparing performance on different paradigms, validating performance against real-world behavior and open sharing. Reliable and valid assessments available on open-science repositories are essential for work on the development of navigation, its neural bases, and its implications for other cognitive domains.

Intuitive assessment of spatial navigation beyond episodic memory: Feasibility and proof of concept in middle-aged and elderly individuals

Deficits in spatial navigation in three-dimensional space are prevalent in various neurological disorders and are a sensitive cognitive marker for prodromal Alzheimer’s disease, but are also associated with non-pathological aging. However, standard neuropsychological tests used in clinical settings lack ecological validity to adequately assess spatial navigation. Experimental paradigms, on the other hand, are often too difficult for seniors or patients with cognitive or motor impairments since most require operating a human interface device (HID) or use complex episodic memory tasks. Here, we introduce an intuitive navigation assessment, which is conceptualized using cognitive models of spatial navigation and designed to account for the limited technical experience and diverging impairments of elderly participants and neurological patients. The brief computer paradigm uses videos of hallways filmed with eye tracking glasses, without employing an episodic memory task or requiring participants to operate a HID. Proof of concept data from 34 healthy, middle-aged and elderly participants (56–78 years) provide evidence for the assessment’s feasibility and construct validity as a navigation paradigm. Test performance showed normal distribution and was sensitive to age and education, which needs to be considered when investigating the assessment’s psychometric properties in larger samples and clinical populations. Correlations of the navigation assessment with other neuropsychological tests confirmed its dependence on visuospatial skills rather than visual episodic memory, with age driving the association with working memory. The novel paradigm is suitable for a differentiated investigation of spatial navigation in elderly individuals and promising for experimental research in clinical settings.

Redesigning navigational aids using virtual global landmarks to improve spatial knowledge retrieval

Although beacon- and map-based spatial strategies are the default strategies for navigation activities, today's navigational aids mostly follow a beacon-based design where one is provided with turn-by-turn instructions. Recent research, however, shows that our reliance on these navigational aids is causing a decline in our spatial skills. We are processing less of our surrounding environment and relying too heavily on the instructions given. To reverse this decline, we need to engage more in map-based learning, which encourages the user to process and integrate spatial knowledge into a cognitive map built to benefit flexible and independent spatial navigation behaviour. In an attempt to curb our loss of skills, we proposed a navigation assistant to support map-based learning during active navigation. Called the virtual global landmark (VGL) system, this augmented reality (AR) system is based on the kinds of techniques used in traditional orienteering. Specifically, a notable landmark is always present in the user's sight, allowing the user to continuously compute where they are in relation to that specific location. The efficacy of the unit as a navigational aid was tested in an experiment with 27 students from the University of Technology Sydney via a comparison of brain dynamics and behaviour. From an analysis of behaviour and event-related spectral perturbation, we found that participants were encouraged to process more spatial information with a map-based strategy where a silhouette of the compass-like landmark was perpetually in view. As a result of this technique, they consistently navigated with greater efficiency and better accuracy.

Using virtual global landmark to improve incidental spatial learning

To reduce the decline of spatial cognitive skills caused by the increasing use of automated GPS navigation, the virtual global landmark (VGL) system is proposed to help people naturally improve their sense of direction. Designed to accompany a heads-up navigation system, VGL system constantly displays silhouette of global landmarks in the navigator’s vision as a notable frame of reference. This study exams how VGL system impacts incidental spatial learning, i.e., subconscious spatial knowledge acquisition. We asked 55 participants to explore a virtual environment and then draw a map of what they had explored while capturing electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and eye activity. The results suggest that, with the VGL system, participants paid more attention during exploration and performed significantly better at the map drawing task—a result that indicates substantially improved incidental spatial learning. This finding might kickstart a redesigning navigation aids, to teach users to learn a route rather than simply showing them the way.

Entropy of city street networks linked to future spatial navigation ability

The cultural and geographical properties of the environment have been shown to deeply influence cognition and mental health^1-6. Living near green spaces has been found to be strongly beneficial^7-11, and urban residence has been associated with a higher risk of some psychiatric disorders^12-14-although some studies suggest that dense socioeconomic networks found in larger cities provide a buffer against depression¹⁵. However, how the environment in which one grew up affects later cognitive abilities remains poorly understood. Here we used a cognitive task embedded in a video game¹⁶ to measure non-verbal spatial navigation ability in 397,162 people from 38 countries across the world. Overall, we found that people who grew up outside cities were better at navigation. More specifically, people were better at navigating in environments that were topologically similar to where they grew up. Growing up in cities with a low street network entropy (for example, Chicago) led to better results at video game levels with a regular layout, whereas growing up outside cities or in cities with a higher street network entropy (for example, Prague) led to better results at more entropic video game levels. This provides evidence of the effect of the environment on human cognition on a global scale, and highlights the importance of urban design in human cognition and brain function.

The role of the KIBRA and APOE genes in developing spatial abilities in humans

In the contemporary high-tech society, spatial abilities predict individual life and professional success, especially in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines. According to neurobiological hypotheses, individual differences in cognitive abilities may be attributed to the functioning of genes involved in the regulation of neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. In addition, genome-wide association studies identified rs17070145 located in the KIBRA gene, which was associated with individual differences in episodic memory. Considering a significant role of genetic and environmental components in cognitive functioning, the present study aimed to estimate the main effect of NGF (rs6330), NRXN1 (rs1045881, rs4971648), KIBRA (rs17070145), NRG1 (rs6994992), BDNF (rs6265), GRIN2B (rs3764030), APOE (rs7412, rs429358), and SNAP25 (rs363050) gene polymorphisms and to assess the effect of gene-environment interactions on individual differences in spatial ability in individuals without cognitive decline aged 18–25 years (N = 1011, 80 % women). Spatial abilities were measured using a battery of cognitive tests including the assessment of “3D shape rotation” (mental rotation). Multiple regression analysis, which was carried out in the total sample controlling for sex, ethnicity and the presence of the “risk” APOE ε4 allele, demonstrated the association of the rs17070145 Т-allele in the KIBRA gene with enhanced spatial ability (β = 1.32; pFDR = 0.037) compared to carriers of the rs17070145 CC-genotype. The analysis of gene-environment interactions revealed that nicotine smoking (β = 3.74; p = 0.010) and urban/rural residency in childhood (β = –6.94; p = 0.0002) modulated the association of KIBRA rs17070145 and АРОЕ (rs7412, rs429358) gene variants with individual differences in mental rotation, respectively. The data obtained confirm the effect of the KIBRA rs17070145 Т-allele on improved cognitive functioning and for the first time evidence the association of the mentioned genetic variant with spatial abilities in humans. A “protective” effect of the APOE ε2 allele on enhanced cognitive functioning is observed only under certain conditions related to childhood rearing.

Expression of CRY2 Gene in the Brain Is Related to Human Navigation

Navigation is a complex cognitive process. CRY2 gene has been proposed to play an important role in navigation behaviors in various non-human animal species. Utilizing a recently developed neuroimaging-transcriptomics approach, the present study reported a tentative link between the CRY2 gene and human navigation. Specifically, we showed a significant pattern similarity between CRY2 gene expression in the human brain and navigation-related neural activation in functional magnetic resonance imaging. To further illuminate the functionality of CRY2 in human navigation, we examined the correlation between CRY2 expression and various cognitive processes underlying navigation, and found high correlation of CRY2 expression with neural activity of multiple cognitive domains, particularly object and shape perception and spatial memory. Further analyses on the relation between the neural activity of human navigation and the expression maps of genes of two CRY2-related pathways, i.e., the magnetoreceptive and circadian-related functions, found a trend of correlation for the CLOCK gene, a core circadian regulator gene, suggesting that CRY2 may modulate human navigation through its role in circadian rhythm. This observation was further confirmed by a behavioral study where individuals with better circadian regularity in daily life showed better sense of direction. Taken together, our study presents the first neural evidence that links CRY2 with human navigation, possibly through the modulation of circadian rhythm.

Educational attainment polygenic score predicts inhibitory control and academic skills in early and middle childhood

Inhibitory control skills are important for academic outcomes across childhood, but it is unknown whether inhibitory control is implicated in the association between genetic variation and academic performance. This study examined the relationship between a GWAS-based (EduYears) polygenic score indexing educational attainment (EA PGS) and inhibitory control in early (Mage  = 3.80 years) and middle childhood (Mage  = 9.18 years), and whether inhibitory control in early childhood mediated the relation between EA PGS and academic skills. The sample comprised 731 low-income and racially/ethnically diverse children and their families from the longitudinal early steps multisite study. EA PGS predicted middle childhood inhibitory control (estimate = 0.09, SE = 0.05, p < 0.05) and academic skills (estimate = 0.18, SE = 0.05, p < 0.01) but did not predict early childhood inhibitory control (estimate = 0.08, SE = 0.05, p = 0.11); thus, mediation was not tested. Sensitivity analyses showed that effect sizes were similar across European and African American groups. This study suggests that inhibitory control could serve as a potential mechanism linking genetic differences to educational outcomes.

Resting State EEG Related to Mathematical Improvement After Spatial Training in Children

Spatial cognitive abilities, including mental rotation (MR) and visuo-spatial working memory (vsWM) are correlated with mathematical performance, and several studies have shown that training of these abilities can enhance mathematical performance. Here, we investigated the behavioral and neural correlates of MR and vsWM training combined with number line (NL) training. Fifty-seven children, aged 6–7, performed 25 days of NL training combined with either vsWM or MR and participated in an Electroencephalography (EEG)-session in school to measure resting state activity and steady-state visual evoked potentials during a vsWM task before and after training. Fifty children, aged 6–7, received usual teaching and acted as a control group. Compared to the control group, both training groups improved on a combined measure of mathematics. Cognitive improvement was specific to the training. Significant pre-post changes in resting state-EEG (rs-EEG), common to both training groups, were found for power as well as for coherence, with no significant differences in rs-EEG-changes between the vsWM and MR groups. Two of the common rs-EEG changes were correlated with mathematical improvement: (1) an increase in coherence between the central frontal lobe and the right parietal lobe in frequencies ranging from 16 to 25 Hz, and (2) an increase in coherence between the left frontal lobe and the right parietal lobe ranging from 23 to 25 Hz. These results indicate that changes in fronto-parietal coherence are related to an increase in mathematical performance, which thus might be a useful measure in further investigations of mathematical interventions in children.

Measuring Spatial Ability for Talent Identification, Educational Assessment, and Support: Evidence from Adolescents with High Achievement in Science, Arts, and Sports

Background

Spatial ability (SA) is a robust predictor of academic and occupational achievement. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of 10 tests for measuring of SA in a sample of talented schoolchildren.

Objective

Our purpose was to identify the most suitable measurements for SA for the purpose of talent identification, educational assessment, and support.

Design

Our sample consisted of 1479 schoolchildren who had demonstrated high achievement in Science, Arts, or Sports. Several criteria were applied to evaluate the measurements, including an absence of floor and ceiling effects, low redundancy, high reliability, and external validity.

Results

Based on these criteria, we included the following four tests in an Online Short Spatial Ability Battery "OSSAB": Pattern Assembly; Mechanical Reasoning; Paper Folding; and Shape Rotation. Further analysis found differences in spatial ability across the three groups of gifted adolescents. The Science track showed the highest results in all four tests.

Conclusion

Overall, the study suggested that the Online Short Spatial Ability Battery (OSSAB) can be used for talent identification, educational assessment, and support. The analysis showed a unifactorial structure of spatial abilities. Future research is needed to evaluate the use of this battery with other specific samples and unselected populations.