Knowing Your Limits: How a Time Constraint May Impact Spatial Reasoning

Abstract

We set out to evaluate how spatial ability (SA) relates to temporal and spatial patterns in average fixation duration (AFD). We hypothesized that SA would be negatively correlated with AFD. Additionally, we asserted that SA would be positively related to AFD in the spatially salient regions of interest (ROIs) of structures presented on a spatial test. The SA test was timed and based on the line drawings of Shepherd and Metzler. Individuals chose whether block pairs were rotations (same), or mirrored (different) images. Eye tracking revealed a significant relationship between AFD and SA (r = ‐.92*, n=10, p<.0001). This suggests that high SA individuals are able to discern and attend to the spatially salient features required to interpret spatial structures more rapidly than low scorers. Through the creation of spatial ROIs, the relationship between SA and AFD in different areas of the images (Bend, Tail, Straight or Empty) was revealed. When the proportional AFD was related to SA, two relationships were found; a negative relationship between the Tail AFD and SA (r=‐.65*, n=10, p=.042), and a positive relationship between the Straight AFD and SA (r=.66*, n=10, p=.037). Thus, low SA individuals dwell on the tail regions, using tail position to solve the question, while the high SA individuals quickly observe the tails, and store the information in their working memory for reference, as they proceed through the test.