Visual Thinking: Art Students Have an Advantage in Geometric Reasoning

Caren M Walker,Ellen Winner,Lynn Goldsmith,Lois Hetland,Seymour Simmons

doi:10.4236/ce.2011.21004

Caren M Walker, Ellen Winner + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2011.21004

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Abstract

We investigated whether individuals with training in the visual arts show superior performance on geometric reasoning tasks, given that both art and geometry entail visualization and mental manipulation of images. Two groups of undergraduates, one majoring in studio art, the other majoring in psychology, were given a set of geometric reasoning items designed to assess the ability to mentally manipulate geometric shapes in two- and three-dimensional space. Participants were also given a verbal intelligence test. Both training in the arts and verbal intelligence were strong predictors of geometric reasoning, but training in the arts was a significant predictor even when the effects of verbal intelligence were removed. These correlational findings lend support to the hypothesis that training in the visual arts may improve geometric reasoning via the learned cognitive skill of visualization.

Highlights

The ability to visualize what cannot be seen directly is considered a critical skill in mathematics and science (Cunningham, 2005)
To determine whether visual arts training significantly predicted geometry performance, a linear regression analysis was conducted, with the total score on the geometric reasoning task included as the dependent variable and group membership and scores on the two sections of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT) included as independent variables
It is possible that training in the visual arts does have a causal effect on visual-spatial skills: visual arts training may strengthen such skills and thereby lead to improvements in geometry performance

Summary

Introduction

The ability to visualize what cannot be seen directly is considered a critical skill in mathematics and science (Cunningham, 2005). When asked to reflect on his thinking, Einstein wrote that words “do not seem to play any role in my mechanism of thought.”. Instead, he described the primary elements of his thinking as “certain signs and more or less clear images” (Hadamard, 1945). He described the primary elements of his thinking as “certain signs and more or less clear images” (Hadamard, 1945) Kekulé reported that he discovered the circular structure of the benzene molecule after dreaming of a snake biting its own tail (Perkins, 1983). Edward Tufte’s work on visualizing statistical data states, “Graphics reveal data. Every STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) discipline calls upon visual or spatial thinking: chemists envision molecular structures and their interactions; geologists use field observations to envision structures that cannot be seen; engineers use visual feedback from computer models as they develop and test designs; topologists and geometers investigate mathematical relationships under various transformations

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