The spatial curriculum produced near transfer to improved spatial scanning and increased self-reported spatial habits of mind, but not to mental rotation¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · causal r2 · q3 · i0–i2
Currency · newest study 2022 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 3 of 3 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i1 Geospatial students improved more than controls on the embedded figure task measuring spatial scanning, a skill emphasized by but not practiced as such in the curriculum. → Cortes 2022 q3 i2 Geospatial students increased more than controls in self-reported use of spatial thinking strategies on the spatial habits of mind inventory. → Cortes 2022 (2) q3 i0 Mental rotation performance did not show significant curriculum-specific improvement. → Cortes 2022 (3)

Evidence¶

Cortes 2022¶

Cortes, R. A., Peterson, E. G., Kraemer, D. J. M., Kolvoord, R. A., Uttal, D. H., Dinh, N., Weinberger, A. B., Daker, R. J., Lyons, I. M., Goldman, D., & Green, A. E. (2022). Transfer from spatial education to verbal reasoning and prediction of transfer from learning-related neural change. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo3555

q3 · i1 · causal · r2

Group-by-Time ANOVA covarying PSAT, GPA, and gender in the main sample; the embedded figure task assessed two-dimensional spatial scanning, which students did not practice directly in the course, so the gain is characterized as near transfer. The printed effect size np2 = 0.033 corresponds to a small effect (impact 1).

"Consistent with the prediction of improved spatial scanning ability in the spatial curriculum, Geospatial students improved more than controls on EFT (F4,158 = 5.38, P = 0.022, np2 = 0.033; Fig. 1B and table S2)."

Cortes 2022 (2)¶

Cortes, R. A., Peterson, E. G., Kraemer, D. J. M., Kolvoord, R. A., Uttal, D. H., Dinh, N., Weinberger, A. B., Daker, R. J., Lyons, I. M., Goldman, D., & Green, A. E. (2022). Transfer from spatial education to verbal reasoning and prediction of transfer from learning-related neural change. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo3555

q3 · i2 · causal · r2

Survey measure of spatial habits of mind administered before and after the school year in the same quasi-experimental sample; the curriculum "achieved two primary learning goals within the spatial domain" including this self-report outcome. The printed effect size np2 = 0.062 corresponds to a medium effect (impact 2).

"Geospatial students also increased more than controls in self-reported use of spatial thinking strategies on the spatial habits of mind inventory (F4,158 = 10.27, P = 0.002, np2 = 0.062; Fig. 1B and table S6) (28)."

Cortes 2022 (3)¶

Cortes, R. A., Peterson, E. G., Kraemer, D. J. M., Kolvoord, R. A., Uttal, D. H., Dinh, N., Weinberger, A. B., Daker, R. J., Lyons, I. M., Goldman, D., & Green, A. E. (2022). Transfer from spatial education to verbal reasoning and prediction of transfer from learning-related neural change. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo3555

q3 · i0 · causal · r2

Mental rotation task (three-dimensional rotation, not strongly related to the two-dimensional curriculum content) showed no significant Group-by-Time interaction; equivalence was not tested, and Geospatial students improved only nominally more than controls.

"However, MRT performance did not show significant curriculum-specific improvement (Group-by-Time interaction: F4,158 = 1.40, P = 0.239, np2 = 0.009; Fig. 1B and table S5), although Geospatial students improved nominally more than controls."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Curriculum-related neural changes during spatial scanning predict and mediate transfer to verbal reasoning — related
• Improvement in spatial scanning predicts and mediates the curriculum's transfer effect to verbal reasoning — related
• A spatial STEM curriculum yields far transfer to improved verbal deductive reasoning in high school students, including on nonspatial relation trials — related
• Five hours of Tetris play improved some mental rotation measures but not most spatial skill measures — related
• Effects of two-dimensional mental rotation training on children's mathematics performance are mixed, with significant correlations between rotation and mathematics measures — related
• Neural change during spatial scanning predicts verbal reasoning transfer better than traditional performance-based assessments, and best prediction combines both — related
• The spatial curriculum produced longitudinal neural changes during reasoning: increased aIPS activity, increased SpatialMap-to-DLPFC connectivity, and increased nonspatial-to-spatial representational similarity — related
• Spatial Training Improves Math Performance — a broader claim this one bears on
• Ideation training benefits transfer by domain: verbal training raised verbal and figural creativity, figural training only figural — related