Improvement in spatial scanning predicts and mediates the curriculum's transfer effect to verbal reasoning¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2022 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Longitudinal change in spatial scanning (ΔEFT) positively predicted change in verbal reasoning, including for nonspatial trials. → Cortes 2022 q3 i? ΔEFT mediated the association of the spatial curriculum with improved reasoning, explaining 12% of total variance. → Cortes 2022 (2) q3 i? Change in mental rotation also predicted change in verbal reasoning, and ΔEFT and ΔMRT each independently predicted ΔReasoning. → 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 · i? · causal · r2

Regression models controlling for PSAT, GPA, and gender in the main sample: "the more students' spatial scanning improved, the more their verbal reasoning improved." Only regression coefficients are printed, so no effect size is reported.

"longitudinal change in spatial scanning performance on EFT from T1 to T2 (ΔEFT) predicted change in Reasoning performance from T1 to T2 (ΔReasoning) for all Reasoning trials (β = 0.288, P < 0.001; table S11) and for the subset of nonspatial relation trials (e.g., "better"; β = 0.291, P < 0.001; table S12)."

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 · i? · causal · r2

Mediation analysis in the main sample: the indirect effect of curriculum group on reasoning change through ΔEFT was significant (P = 0.028; 12% of variance; 10% for nonspatial trials). Percent variance mediated is not a standardized effect size, so impact is null.

"Furthermore, ΔEFT mediated the transfer association of the spatial curriculum to improved reasoning for all Reasoning trials [12% of total variance explained by mediator (36–38); indirect effect: P = 0.028; Fig. 2] and nonspatial relation trials separately (10% of total variance; P = 0.036; fig. S6), further suggesting that improvement in spatial scanning may have been a cognitive mechanism by which spatial education improved verbal reasoning."

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 · i? · causal · r2

Regression controlling for PSAT, GPA, and gender: mental rotation gains also predicted reasoning gains. ΔMRT was not tested as a mediator because it was not significantly associated with curriculum group; simultaneous regression showed ΔEFT and ΔMRT each independently predicted ΔReasoning.

"In addition, supporting MMT, longitudinal change in mental rotation (ΔMRT) predicted ΔReasoning for all trials (β = 0.453, P < 0.001; table S13) and nonspatial trials separately (β = 0.522, P < 0.001; table S14)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Curriculum-related neural changes during spatial scanning predict and mediate transfer to verbal reasoning — 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 near transfer to improved spatial scanning and increased self-reported spatial habits of mind, but not to mental rotation — related
• A spatial STEM curriculum yields far transfer to improved verbal deductive reasoning in high school students, including on nonspatial relation trials — 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