Long-term aftereffects of mental rotation training differ by task difficulty: sustained gains then decline for the simple 75° task versus decline over time for the complex 150° task¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In the 75° task accuracy increased significantly from post1 to post2 then decreased significantly at post3; in the 150° task accuracy stayed constant from post1 to post2 and decreased significantly at post3. → Linlin Dong 2025

Evidence¶

Linlin Dong 2025¶

Linlin Dong, Yufeng Ke, Xiaodong Zhu, Shuang Liu & Dong Ming. (2025). Long-term cognitive and neurophysiological effects of mental rotation training. npj Science of Learning 10:16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00309-2

q3 · i? · causal · r2

Post hoc bootstrap t-tests with FDR correction after the pooled RM-ANOVAs, contrasting the simple (75°) and complex (150°) task trajectories. The article characterizes the 75° after-effect as "a sustained increase in behavioral performance followed by a decrease" and the 150° after-effect as "a decrease over time," with post3 ACC similar to post1 but RT significantly larger.

"In the 75° task, the ACC increased significantly at the post2-test compared to the post1-test, while the RT did not change significantly, and there was a significant decrease in the ACC at the post3-test compared to the post2-test, while RT increased significantly"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Spatial Ability — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Gender and baseline performance show no significant main effects or interactions with time on long-term training aftereffects, though descriptively the sustainability of effects was higher in the male group — related
• Mental rotation training significantly increases P300 GFP, which peaks at 20 days post-training and remains elevated at 90 days — related
• Ten-day mental rotation training improves accuracy and response time, with behavioral benefits maintained up to 90 days post-training — reports the opposite