Mirror-image matching and mental rotation problem solving by baboons (Papio papio): Unilateral input enhances performance.

1993 ◽  
Vol 122 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Hopkins ◽  
Joël Fagot ◽  
Jacques Vauclair
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Image Matching ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Papio Papio

Mirror Image Reversal: Is what we See what we Present?

Perception ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 869-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reg C Morris
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Object Image ◽  
Physical Explanation ◽  
Image Match ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Image Reversal

Many psychological explanations have been advanced to explain left—right reversal in mirror images, but Gregory and Haig have each proposed a physical explanation for the reversal: the first is based upon the physical rotation used to present the surface of the object to the mirror, and the second on the classical optics of reflection. These physical explanations are considered together with an explanation based on object symmetry. The apparent reversal of directional coordinates (eg left and right) that occurs in the mirror images of most objects is distinguished from reversals achieved by physical or mental rotation. It is also distinguished from the object—image match that can be achieved by mental or physical rotation of some symmetrical objects. It is concluded that the left—right reversal is not specifically optical, but is determined by multiple factors, including object symmetry, the conventional and gravitational positioning of top and bottom and back and front, and our greater familiarity with right—left than with top—bottom or back—front reversals.

Failure at object identification improves mirror image matching

2000 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 1229-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth K Warrington ◽  
Jules Davidoff
Keyword(s):  
Image Matching ◽  
Object Identification ◽  
Mirror Image

scholarly journals Mental Rotation in Human Infants

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1063-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Moore ◽  
Scott P. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Familiar Object ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Three Dimensional Space

A sex difference on mental-rotation tasks has been demonstrated repeatedly, but not in children less than 4 years of age. To demonstrate mental rotation in human infants, we habituated 5-month-old infants to an object revolving through a 240° angle. In successive test trials, infants saw the habituation object or its mirror image revolving through a previously unseen 120° angle. Only the male infants appeared to recognize the familiar object from the new perspective, a feat requiring mental rotation. These data provide evidence for a sex difference in mental rotation of an object through three-dimensional space, consistently seen in adult populations.

scholarly journals Mental-Rotation Effect: A Function of Elementary Stimulus Discriminability?

Perception ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1301-1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Förster ◽  
Ralf-Peter Gebhardt ◽  
Karen Lindlar ◽  
Martina Siemann ◽  
Juan D Delius
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Rotation Effect ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Complex Stimuli ◽  
Complex Shapes ◽  
Decision Speed ◽  
Special Case ◽  
Orientation Invariance ◽  
Orientation Disparity

It is well known that when humans have to decide whether two differently oriented shapes are identical or mirror images their performance deteriorates as a function of the orientation disparity (mental-rotation effect). Here it is shown that the effect can also be obtained reliably with non-mirror-image, arbitrarily different polygons provided they are previously selected to be hard to discriminate. The slope of the decision speed versus orientation disparity functions was found to be inversely related to the discriminability of shapes under conditions of no, ie 0°, orientation disparity. Easily discriminable polygon pairs yielded essentially flat, no-effect functions. The arbitrary polygons that were more difficult to discriminate produced a rotation effect that was similar to those of mirror-image polygon pairs. Mirror images in this context may only be a special case of hard-to-discriminate stimuli. We also show that the speed of judging whether simple lines were of the same or different length was similarly subject to a rotation effect provided that the length differences were sufficiently small, ie when their baseline dicriminability was poor enough. It is suggested that the mental rotation of complex shapes (eg polygons) may build on rotation effects pertaining to the simpler elements of which they are composed. Further, some special effects associated with the rotation of such simpler components may explain certain peculiarities apparent in orientation invariance functions obtained with complex stimuli.

scholarly journals A Comparison between the Spatial Intelligence of the Freshman Engineering Students of Sharif University of Technology and Debrecen University

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Nagy-Kondor ◽  
Saeed Esmailnia
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Spatial Abilities ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Spatial Intelligence ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Purdue Spatial Visualization Test ◽  
Shed Light

The goal of this paper is to compare freshman engineering students' spatial abilities (Spatial Intelligence) at two universities: Sharif University in Tehran and Debrecen University of Hungary, focusing on both their final mathematical exam performance and their gender so as to ascertain whether the students differ significantly in terms of their spatial abilities and/or their problem solving methods. The tests used to measure spatial intelligence performance and mental rotation was the Purdue Spatial Visualization Test (PSVT Branoff). The test results have been statistically evaluated and conclusions formulated. The results show that there was no significant difference between Iranian and Hungarian freshman engineering students in the performance of mental rotation tasks. However, a general gender difference in spatial ability performance was evident among the Hungarian students but not among the Iranians. The results also shed light on spatial rotation problem-solving methods that appear to be largely specific to females.

Adults’ Sex Difference in a Dynamic Mental Rotation Task

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Heil ◽  
Markus Krüger ◽  
Horst Krist ◽  
Scott P. Johnson ◽  
David S. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Familiar Object ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Mental Rotation Test ◽  
Sex Effects ◽  
Original Figure ◽  
Dynamic Version ◽  
Image Cube

Abstract. With the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), large and reliable sex differences are found. Used with children younger than about 9 or 10 years, MRT performance is at chance level. Simpler tasks used with younger children have revealed inconclusive results. Moore and Johnson (2008 , 2011 ) observed sex differences in infants using a habituation task with 3D cube figures rotating back and forth in depth through a 240° angle. Thereafter, female infants treated similarly the original figure and a mirror-image cube figure presented revolving through the previously unseen 120° angle, whereas male infants behaved as if they recognized the familiar object. In the present study, 256 adults participated in the MRT as well as in a modified two-alternative forced-choice dynamic version of the infants’ task. Sex differences were present for both tasks. More importantly, there was a positive correlation in performance across both tasks for both women and men. Since the new task turned out to be simpler, it might be suitable also for children. We present the first, although indirect, evidence that the sex effects reported by Moore and Johnson might indeed reflect early sex differences in mental rotation.

scholarly journals Relationships between 9-Year-Olds' Math and Literacy Worries and Academic Abilities

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Punaro ◽  
Robert Reeve
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Math Performance ◽  
The Other ◽  
Problem Difficulty ◽  
Academic Abilities ◽  
Latent Class Analyses ◽  
Math Literacy ◽  
Literacy Performance

We investigated whether 9-year-olds experience math and/or literacy worries and, if they do, whether it is related to problem-solving abilities. Fifty-eight children judged the correctness of math, literacy, and mental rotation problems that differed in difficulty and rated their worry level about the correctness of judgments. Nonverbal IQ, general math, and literacy abilities were also assessed. Results showed children's worry ratings varied as a function of task and problem difficulty. Latent class analyses of math and literacy worry ratings revealed high-, moderate- and low-worry subgroups in both domains. The high-worry math subgroup exhibited poorer math performance than the other math subgroups, demonstrating a link between math worry and math performance. No relationship was found between worry literacy subgroups and literacy performance. Moreover, no relationship was found between teachers’ rating of children's academic and general worry and children’s own worry ratings. The relevance of the findings for understanding math and literacy worry is discussed.

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