Does spatial interference affect spatial text processing in individuals with high mental rotation ability?

Abstract

Background Some studies have shown that individual differences in spatial abilities play an important role in the comprehension of spatial descriptions (de Vega 1994; Haenggi et al. 1995; Pazzaglia and Cornoldi 1999). The mental rotation test (MRT, Vandenberg and Kuse 1978) is a rigorous measure of spatial ability that correlates with other spatial and visual abilities, and is also a good marker of spatial strategies (Casey 2003). Haenggi et al. (1995) found that mental rotation ability is correlated with the construction of a spatial mental model (Johnson-Laird 1983) derived from a narrative text. In recent years, a number of studies have investigated the cognitive processes, such as temporary memory functions, involved in the processing of spatial mental models. Some, using the Baddeley model of WM (1986), showed the specific involvement of visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) in the processing of illustrated (Gyselinck et al. 2002) and spatial texts (De Beni et al. 2005; Pazzaglia et al. 2006). In the present study we investigate the relationship between MR ability and WM components in the processing of spatial and non-spatial texts.