Special session — Frontiers of spatial cognition: Moving beyond rotating cubes

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Spatial reasoning and visualization skills are critical skills for Computer Science, Engineering, and Technology (CSET) students. The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualizations of Rotations (PSVT:R) is considered the gold standard of spatial assessments and is a paper-and-pencil test that requires the mental rotation of three-dimensional connected cubes. Consistently, results on this test show sex differences, with men performing better than women. Spatial cognition is more than just mental rotation, however, and CSET education needs a variety of assessment tools and methods. In this session, participants will engage in a variety of spatial reasoning and visualization problems to expand their understanding of this area. We will explore different ways to assess spatial skills and consider the complex interactions of context, resources, and multiple strategies. By reviewing the literature on how children develop spatial understanding, CSET faculty can expand the options they consider when designing learning opportunities and assessment methods for college students. Another thread woven throughout this session is the consideration of differential performance of subgroups on various tests of spatial skills. The PSVT:R and tests like it often show sex differences and SES differences in performance, especially under timed-response conditions. In this session, we will consider potential explanations for these differences and outline some open areas for research.