Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire Research Articles

Spatial Ability Performance in Interior Design and Architecture: Comparison of Static and Virtual Reality Modes

Recent advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology have enabled its integration into learning diverse aspects of spatial components and relationships in the field of spatial design, as well as designing, communicating, collaborating, and managing complex building projects. With the growing interest in incorporating VR technology in spatial design, examining whether people understand, perceive, and perform spatial tasks in the same way in VR as they do in static modes is essential. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare spatial ability performance in a conventional static paper–desktop mode and an interactive VR mode. Thirty students completed the Architecture and Interior Design Domain–Specific Spatial Ability Test in both modes. Their visual cognitive style was measured with the Object–Spatial Imagery Questionnaire, and their responses to the usability of the VR mode were analyzed. The results revealed: (a) significant difference in performance between static and VR modes, including better performance in three spatial visualization subconstructs in static mode than in VR; (b) no gender difference in VR mode; (c) a tendency of spatial visualizers to benefit from VR mode; and (d) a tendency of people with high spatial ability to be more susceptible to test mode. Overall, the results contribute to expanding our understanding of spatial ability performance in different test modes and provide insights concerning the integration of VR into the development of spatial ability tools and education.

An investigation of design studio performance in relation to creativity, spatial ability, and visual cognitive style

Design is a complex, multifaceted problem-solving activity involving various cognitive abilities. Creativity and spatial ability are considered critical in design process and outcomes, and visual cognitive style represents the potential of artistic and scientific creativity; however, little empirical research exists on their relationships and roles in design studio performance. This paper is an investigation of how one's creativity, spatial ability, and visual cognitive styles relate to design studio performance, measured by grade. Identifying students' cognitive abilities and their relation to design studio performance is important for the development of meaningful pedagogy and the holistic understanding of student capacities. Fifty-nine freshman architecture and interior design majors' creativity, spatial ability, and visual cognitive style were measured using the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, Mental Rotation Test, Paper Folding Test, the Architectural Spatial Ability Test, and the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire, and compared with one another and with final grades in their design studio course. The effect of gender and academic major was investigated through a two-way ANOVA. The analysis revealed no correlations between studio course grade and the observed scores; but a positive correlation existed between general spatial abilities and visual cognitive styles. It also revealed males' outperformance in general spatial ability tasks and tendency of spatial visualizers. The results show that design studio performance cannot be measured and predicted directly by creativity, spatial ability, and visual cognitive style. The results highlight the necessity to develop measurement criteria of domain-specific creativity and spatial ability, and the importance of holistic understanding of student capacities and the nurturing process in education.

An age-related view of the role of object and spatial cognitive styles in distance estimation

Distance estimations require identifying characteristics of the object and its spatial surroundings. With the present study, we examined the relationship between visual object and spatial (cognitive) styles and distance estimations in children and adults. Participants were administered the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (OSIQ) and two distance estimation tasks—one required estimating reach distance (reach task [RT]) from the self and the other required estimating distance between targets (perceptual task[PT]). Overall, our findings indicated that age was the best predictor of estimation for RT and PT tasks, and individuals were more accurate in the task requiring an egocentric frame of reference (RT) compared to tasks that require allocentric judgements (PT). In addition, children had higher ratings on cognitive styles in comparison to adults, but both object and spatial styles only related to RT accuracy in adults. Cognitive styles seem to be associated to distance estimation accuracy, but only when there is a clear preference.

Cognitive styles and mental rotation ability in map learning

In inspecting, learning and reproducing a map, a wide range of abilities is potentially involved. This study examined the role of mental rotation (MR) and verbal ability, together with that of cognitive styles in map learning. As regards cognitive styles, the traditional distinction between verbalizers and visualizers has been taken into account, together with a more recent distinction between two styles of visualization: spatial and object. One hundred and seven participants filled in two questionnaires on cognitive styles: the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire (Richardson in J Ment Imag 1:109-125, 1977) and the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (Blajenkova et al. in Appl Cogn Psych 20:239-263, 2006), performed MR and verbal tests, learned two maps, and were then tested for their recall. It was found that MR ability and cognitive styles played a role in predicting map learning, with some distinctions within cognitive styles: verbal style favoured learning of one of the two maps (the one rich in verbal labels), which in turn was disadvantaged by the adoption of spatial style. Conversely, spatial style predicted learning of the other map, rich in visual features. The discussion focuses on implications for cognitive psychology and everyday cognition.

Object-Spatial Imagery Types of Japanese College Students

This study investigated the object-spatial imagery types found among Japanese college students. First, we examined the descriptive statistics of the Japanese version of the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire object-spatial imagery scales, which measure respondents’ tendencies with respect to object-spatial imagery types. Although the means of these subscales were lower than those of the original versions, the raw score distributions and gender differences were similar to those obtained using the original version. Additionally, we compared imagery types among students in seven different academic departments. Specifically, the results showed specific patterns of imagery type among students in each department, indicating that the object-spatial imagery type model is applicable to Japanese college students and that individual imagery type data would be helpful for career guidance.

Do sequence-space synaesthetes have better spatial imagery skills? Maybe not

Sequence-space synaesthesia is a type of visuo-spatial imagery in which numbers or calendar units are experienced to occupy locations in space. Previous studies have claimed that these synaesthetes (1) have stronger self-reported visual (but not spatial) imagery and (2) perform unusually well on mental rotation tasks that are usually taken to reflect spatial (but not visual) imagery. To further investigate whether this form of synaesthesia is related to spatial imagery, we compared synaesthetes to controls on the Object Spatial Imagery Questionnaire, a paper folding test and a mental rotation task. The synaesthetes did not differ from controls in self-reported spatial imagery, but showed a strong trend to report better visual imagery, replicating previously reported data patterns. Consistent with this, their paper folding and mental rotation performance was no better than controls. We also confirmed that, in our pooled sample, performance on both these tasks was positively correlated with self-reported spatial imagery. We suggest our data are more consistent with the view that sequence-space synaesthesia is related to visual than to spatial imagery, and we suggest reasons why previous studies may have found superior mental rotation performance.

Development of a Japanese Version of the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (J-OSIQ)

The Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (OSIQ) is a measure of individual differences in visual imagery preferences. In the present study, we attempted to develop a Japanese version of the OSIQ (J-OSIQ). On the basis of principal components analysis, we obtained two factors in the questionnaire. An object imagery scale (15 items) assesses preferences for representing colorful, pictorial, high-resolution images of individual objects or scenes. A spatial imagery scale (15 items) assesses preferences for representing schematic images of objects and spatial locations of objects. The reliabilities of these factors were similar to those of the original version. Additionally, we showed that the object imagery scale was selectively correlated with object imagery measures, whereas the spatial imagery scale was selectively correlated with spatial imagery tests. These results demonstrate that the J-OSIQ is useful for measuring preferences for object and spatial imagery in Japanese.

Spatial versus object visualisation: The case of mathematical understanding in three-dimensional arrays of cubes and nets

This paper investigates the relations of students’ spatial and object visualisation with their analytic, creative and practical abilities in three-dimensional geometry. Fifty-three 11-year-olds were tested using a Greek modified version of the Object–Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (OSIQ) ( Blajenkova, Kozhevnikov, & Motes, 2006) and two mathematics tests, one on three-dimensional arrays of cubes and one on nets. The results suggest that spatial visualisation was related to students’ practical abilities in three-dimensional arrays of cubes, whereas object visualisation was related to students’ creative abilities in nets. Furthermore, high and low spatial visualisers differed in their practical abilities in three-dimensional arrays of cubes and in their analytic abilities in nets, whereas, high and low object visualisers differed in their creative abilities in nets.

Concepts are not represented by conscious imagery

According to theories of grounded cognition, conceptual representation and perception share processing mechanisms. We investigated whether this overlap is due to conscious perceptual imagery. Participants filled out questionnaires to assess the vividness of their imagery (Questionnaire on Mental Imagery) and the extent to which their imagery was object oriented and spatially oriented (Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire), and they performed a mental rotation task. One week later, they performed a verbal property verification task. In this task, involvement of modality-specific systems is evidenced by the modality-switch effect, the finding that performance on a target trial (e.g., apple-green) is better after a same-modality trial (e.g., diamond-sparkle) than after a different-modality trial (e.g., airplane-noisy). Results showed a modality-switch effect, but there was no systematic relation between imagery scores and modality switch. We conclude that conscious mental imagery is not fundamental to conceptual representation.

Individual differences in object and spatial imagery: Personality correlates

In the present study, we investigated whether individual differences in object and spatial imagery are correlated with two personality variables, fantasy proneness and dissociation. One hundred and eight undergraduates filled out the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire, the Dissociative Experience Scale, the Creative Experiences Questionnaire, questions on frequency of active role-playing games (RPGs), and the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire. Object, but not Spatial, imagery was related to fantasy proneness and frequency of engagement in live-action RPGs, revealing that this visual style affects broader aspects of people’s life than previously expected. Dissociation did not correlate with either imagery measure. We conclude that object and spatial imagery are different constructs, related to different personality variables, with a specific association between object imagery and fantasy proneness.

Individual differences in visuo-spatial imagery: further evidence for the distinction between object and spatial imagers

Background and aims Neuropsychological studies with brain damaged patients and neuroimaging studies with healthy subjects demonstrated that imagery is not a unified construct and distinct object and spatial imagery subsystems have been reported. More recently, research on individual differences has also provided evidence for two different types of imagers, namely Object and Spatial imagers (Kozhevnikov et al. 2005). Object imagers use imagery to create detailed and pictorial images of the shapes of objects, they perform very well on object imagery tasks and score poorly on spatial imagery tasks. Spatial imagers, that use imagery to represent and transform spatial relations, show a reversed pattern of performance. Differences were also found in perceptual processing: object imagers encode visual stimuli holistically while spatial imagers process figures analytically. A new self-report instrument, the object-spatial imagery questionnaire (OSIQ), has been proposed by Blajenkova et al. (Applied Cognitive Psychology, in press) to directly assess the two typologies.In the present studies we examined the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the OSIQ (Study 1) and we investigated its relationship with performance in a visuo-spatial memory task (Study 2). Study 1 Methods

Object-spatial imagery: a new self-report imagery questionnaire

SUMMARY A new instrument, the Object-Spatial Imagery Questionnaire (OSIQ), was designed to assess individual differences in visual imagery preferences and experiences. The OSIQ consists of two scales: an object imagery scale that assesses preferences for representing and processing colourful, pictorial, and high-resolution images of individual objects and a spatial imagery scale that assesses preferences for representing and processing schematic images, spatial relations amongst objects, and spatial transformations. Across a series of studies, the object imagery scale was significantly correlated with the performance on object imagery tasks; the spatial imagery scale was significantly correlated with the performance on spatial imagery tasks; but neither correlated with measures of intelligence. Additionally, compared to visual artists and humanities professionals, scientists reported higher spatial imagery ratings; however, compared to scientists and humanities professionals, visual artists reported higher object imagery ratings. Thus, the results from the studies supported the predictive, discriminant, and ecological validity of the OSIQ. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.