Psychology

Evidence for a unitary structure of spatial cognition beyond general intelligence

M. Malanchini, K. Rimfeld, et al.

This groundbreaking study delves into the fascinating structure of spatial ability through an innovative gamified battery that evaluates various spatial orientation and object-based tests. Conducted by an esteemed team of researchers, including Margherita Malanchini and Robert Plomin, the findings reveal a unifying framework for spatial cognition, highlighting its genetic basis and independent nature from general cognitive ability.

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Abstract

This study investigates the structure of spatial ability using a novel gamified battery to assess six spatial orientation tests in a virtual environment and ten object-based spatial tests. The results suggest a unitary structure of spatial cognition, with three factors (Navigation, Object Manipulation, and Visualization) loading strongly onto a general Spatial Ability factor. This factor is highly heritable (84%), with a large portion (45%) independent of general cognitive ability (g), pointing towards a common genetic network supporting all spatial abilities.

Publisher

npj Science of Learning

Published On

Jul 02, 2020

Authors

Margherita Malanchini, Kaili Rimfeld, Nicholas G. Shakeshaft, Andrew McMillan, Kerry L. Schofield, Maja Rodic, Valerio Rossi, Yulia Kovas, Philip S. Dale, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Robert Plomin

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