Space Relations Test Research Articles

How to select aspirant laparoscopic surgical trainees: Establishing concurrent validity comparing Xitact LS500 index performance scores with standardized psychomotor Aptitude Test Battery scores

Background Although a controversial topic in medical education, the selection of aspirant surgical trainees is a subject that needs to be addressed. In the view of preventing surgical trainee drop-outs and of appropriate allocation of limited resources, it is an issue critical to the profession. Traditional methods of selection are often subjective, and do not seem to correlate with skill needed for surgery. Standardized neuropsychometric test batteries may be useful in helping to select aspirant laparoscopic surgeons. Our study attempts to link surgical novices’ psychometric ability test battery data with actual performance outcome on an objective, validated, and reproducible surgical laparoscopic task using virtual-reality simulation. Materials and methods Thirty-three novices with no laparoscopic surgical experience participated. Each participant performed the Xitact LS500 Virtual Reality cholecystectomy clip-and-cut module 30 times. Individual learning curves were computed and patterns were assessed. Participants were examined using the aptitude test battery including the Abstract Reasoning test, the Space Relations test, the Gibson Spiral Maze test, and the Crawford Small Parts Dexterity tester. Results Over 900 virtual-reality simulation tasks were generated and assessed. Of the participants, 93.3% were able to complete the virtual-reality simulation 30 times and all elements of our aptitude test battery. The abstract reasoning test is the only test correlating significantly to Xitact test outcome. This test is highly correlated to the space relations test. Both tests have discriminative power, comparing groups of performers. Conclusions The present study addresses the concurrent validity in aptitude testing, comparing scores of surgical novices on the Xitact LS500 laparoscopic cholecystectomy virtual-reality simulation with performance scores on a battery of standardized psychometric aptitude tests. The abstract reasoning and the space-relation test have predictive and selective value, identifying individuals who have good laparoscopic surgical virtual-reality performance. Aspiring laparoscopic surgeons who score below 25 on either test, that is, an expected 36%, would have to be further assessed using Xitact surgical task performance. The group of participants scoring above 35 on the Abstract Reasoning test and above 45 on the Space Relations test, that is, an expected 18% of the population, is unlikely to mal-perform on Xitact. The other 46% could very well benefit from Xitact simulation and assessment when the opportunity is present.

The performance of master surgeons on standard aptitude testing

Background: Identification of the desired psychomotor abilities of optimal surgical performance, if possible, would be useful in the selection of surgical trainees. The aim of this study was to determine the level of these abilities among endoscopic consultant surgeons held in high regard by their peers. Methods: Twenty endoscopic consultant “master” surgeons were tested on three aptitude tests: the Gibson Spiral Maze Test (error score measures eye-hand coordination), the Crawford Small Parts Dexterity Test (execution time indicates manual dexterity), and the Space Relations Test (correct scores reflect visuo-spatial ability). Their performance was compared with that of 20 medical students and the reference norm as provided by the tests’ manuals. Results: The median scores of master surgeons fell in the 20th, 24th, and 30th percentiles, whereas the scores of medical students fell in the 50th, 20th, and 65th percentile of norm reference for the Gibson Spiral Maze, Crawford Small Parts Dexterity, and Space Relations tests, respectively. The master surgeons enacted significantly fewer errors (Gibson Spiral Maze), had similar execution times (Crawford Small Parts Dexterity), and lower visuo-spatial scores (Space Relations) than medical students. Conclusion: The level of eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity of master surgeons was found to be higher than that of the average norm including medical students, while their visuo-spatial ability was lower.

Task-induced differential cortical activation pattern

Measures of task-dependent cortical activation were assessed by bilateral EEG recordings from frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital areas. Two pictorial tests, the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices and the Space Relations Test were used for verbal and spatial conditions, respectively. Recordings were obtained for 20 trials of each task from 22 right-handed adult males and 16 s. trial epochs were subjected to Fast Fourier analyses. Averaged intensity values for the alpha band were compared between verbal and spatial tasks for all subjects and between subgroups of verbalizers and visualizers, allotted on the basis of subject's performance index, derived from response speed and accuracy on the two tasks. The results were as follows: (1) The most pronounced EEG discriminators between the two performance subgroups are the left and right parietal and the right frontal area; (2) The left parietal zone provides the most pronounced discrimination between two groups; (3) There were significant interactions between the left parietal and the right frontal region; (4) The two parietal areas show characteristic frequency shifts in opposite directions for the task conditions. The findings imply complex interplay among the two parietal and right frontal areas, associated with sequential and holistic strategies. The results urge researchers to take into consideration subjectively preferred cognitive strategy, which along with objective task demands influences the process of problem solving and accompanying physiological changes.

Studies of Brain Damage and Dysfunction in Sex Offenders

Pedophiles, sexual aggressives and incest offenders were examined for brain damage and dysfunction using computer tomography (CT) scans, the Halstead-Reitan (HR) Neuropsychological Test Battery, including the Weschsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), and the Space Relations Test (SRT) of the Differential Aptitude Test. Results suggest that the groups of sex offenders examined did not suffer from memory or spatial (imaging) deficits. Subgroups of pedophiles, however, showed different patterns of neuropsychological deficits. Heterosexual and homosexual pedophiles showed verbal deficits and apparent left hemispheric brain dysfunction whereas bisexual pedophiles did not but rather showed right hemispheric visual-spatial deficits. An examination of problems surrounding typology of sex offenders and measurement issues in studying brain damage and dysfunction are discussed.

Development and analysis of a spatial visualization test for middle school boys and girls.

The development of a paper-and-pencil spatial-visualization test for middle school students is reported. The test consists of 32 multiple-choice items of 10 different types. The basic figures for the stimuli and the responses for the items vary from flat views, to numerical data, to corner views of "buildings" constructed from small cubes. The test was administered to a sample of 674 boys and 676 girls in Grades 5 through 8 from three sites representing a broad range of socioeconomic background. The reliability coefficients for various groups of students ranged from .72 to .86. The test-retest reliability coefficient for 73 students was .79. Site, grade, and sex differences, consistent with many other reports, were found. For additional 582 students in Grades 8 to 12 at two sites scores correlated .61 and .66 with scores of the Differential Aptitude Space Relations Test.

Effect of playing a video game on a measure of spatial visualization.

70 undergraduate students, without any prior experience of video games playing, were given a pretest and a posttest on the Space Relations Test of the DAT, Forms A and B being, respectively, administered on the two occasions. The experimental group of 38 had eight sessions of playing the Zaxxon video game, each session including five plays. The control group of 32 received no such treatment. A 2 (sex) by 2 (group) analysis of covariance, using pretest scores as the covariate, yielded a significant effect for group which supports the hypothesis that spatial visualization test scores can be improved by video game playing. Moreover, the sex-related difference in visual-spatial skills frequently reported does not appear on the pretest. Finally, no effect for sex and no interaction of group X sex were found, indicating that both male and female subjects gained equally from playing Zaxxon.

Sex role and spatial ability: An EEG study

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sex role and spatial ability using both performance and electrocortical (EEG) measures. Two hundred and fifty four subjects were given the Differential Aptitudes Space Relations Test and a short form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) which gives an indication of sex role. From this initial group, 40 males and females were chosen based on sex role scores. These subjects were asked to solve additional visuo-spatial problems. Bilateral EEG measures were taken from the frontal and parietal areas. The results indicate that frontal EEG measures are related to the sex role orientation of the subjects whereas parietal EEG measures are associated with performance on the visuo-spatial task for males but not females. These results suggest that frontal and parietal EEG measures reflect different processes. Counter to the traditional hypothesis, performance on the visuo-spatial task was negatively related to masculine sex-role orientation suggesting that factors which influence spatial processing go beyond biological sex.

Predicting mathematics grades of high school girls and boys: A further study

Eighth grade scores for 140 females and 115 males for three cognitive tests (SRA Math Concepts, CAT Vocabulary, and Space Relations Test of the Differential Aptitude Tests) and the eight Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales were used to predict mathematics grades 1–3 years later using multiple regression. Multiple correlation coefficients were significant (8 of 9). In addition to math achievement, significant relationships were confirmed for Spatial Visualization and Confidence in Learning Mathematics. Implications for Research, curriculum development, and teaching are discussed.

Cognitive Performance as a Function of Sex and Handedness: An Evaluation of the Levy Hypothesis

Investigated incidence of left-handedness and non-right-handedness in a sample of 9th-grade students ( n = 313). In comparison, incidence among undergraduates is underestimated. Girls were not significantly more right-handed than boys in the 9th grade sample but were significantly ( p<.01) more right-handed than boys in a sample of math students, grades 9-11 ( n = 1097). Handedness did not affect math achievement (Test of Academic Progress), verbal (Quick Word Test), or spatial (Space Relations Test of the Differential Aptitude Test) performance in the 9th ( n = 108) or 10th ( n = 75) grade students. for 11th grade students ( n = 98) a significant sex-by-handedness-by-measures (verbal spatial) interaction was found ( p<.05). Results did not support the hypothesis of Levy's that left-handedness decreases spatial performance and benefits verbal performance, nor did the results support the further hypothesis that the cognitive pattern of higher verbal than spatial performance often considered characteristic of females can be attributed to more bilateral cerebral verbal function in females as in left-handers.

Distribution of Spatial Visualization and Mathematical Problem Solving Scores: A Test of Stafford's X-linked Hypotheses

This study investigated distribution of spatial visualization scores (Space Relations test of the Differential Aptitude Test) and mathematical problem solving scores (Mental Arithmetic Problems) obtained by 161 male and 152 female, 9th grade, white students for fit to the distributions predicted by the X-linked hypotheses of recessive inheritance of these skills. Data did not support the X-linked hypotheses. No significant sex-related differences were found between mean scores of tests of spatial visualization or mathematical problem solving.

Spatial aptitude and its relationship to art judgment.

The selection of individuals likely to succeed in the field of art has long been the concern of the artist and the educator. More recently, psychologists interested in creativity have proceeded to conduct research on art aptitude. There emerges from these studies the belief that an element common to all art production is the manipulation of visual forms in space relationships. Likert and Q~~asha (1948) and Woods (1953), for example, both using the Minnesota Paper Form Board Test (MPFB), found a correlation between success in art and spatial aptitude. To investigate further the relationship between art aptitude and spatial ability two groups of 40 college Ss were tested. Group 1 consisted of Fine Arts majors; Group 2 consisted of non-art majors, systematically selected to obtain a representative sample of university students not majoring in the Fine Arts. The Meier Art Judgment Test and the Space Relations Test of the Differential Aptimde Test Battery (DAT) tests were administered to Group 1; Group 2 was given only the Space Relations Tesc.

Space Relations Test as a Measure of Visualization Ability

For three years a Space Relations test has been given to the geology and petroleum engineering majors at The University of Texas, at the beginning of the structural geology course. Results of this test, given to over 200 students during this time, indicate a positive correlation between performance on the test and final grades in courses in structural geology and mineralogy, as well as the average of grades in structural geology and all prerequisite geology courses. A student scoring 80 or higher has better than even odds of receiving an “A” or “B” in mineralogy and structural geology. Below 65, he has only 1 to 6 odds of an “A” or “B” and nearly even odds to make a “D” or “F” in either course. Further, the test should indicate a large proportion of the potential graduate geology students at an early stage in their programs. It would be profitable to give the Space Relations test to all beginning geology majors, thus enabling an early evaluation of their ability in visualization.

Correlation of Two Tests of Space Perception with Non-Language Intelligence

World War H served to increase greatly the use of psychological tests. The urgent need for manpower in the overnight expansion and estab lishment of industrial plants, all geared toward the war effort, created a tremendous problem of personnel selection. By far the majority of tasks to be performed in this gigantic machinery for production were of a routine, repetitive, mechanical, nature. Personnel departments especially of the larger plants resorted to the use of specialized tests of ability, interests, apti tudes, and personality in the selection of person nel to fill the jobs. Today, the Veterans' Admin istration in its vocational guidance program, na tionwide in its scope, administers hundreds of thousands of tests of the nature described above, to veterans who desire to avail themselves of such advisement. The writer has observed, in the capacity of vocational counselor, some rela tionship between two of the tests of spatial rela tions and the Non-Language score of an intelli gent test. A quantitative determination of that relationship appeared to be indicated. Statement of the problem. ?It was the purpose of this study to measure the correlation of (1) the Survey of Space Relations Ability with the Non Language factor of the California Test of Mental Maturity; (2) the Survey of Space Relations Abil ity with the Survey of Object Visualization; and (3) the Survey of Object Visualization with the Non-Language score of the California Test of Mental Maturity. Importance of the study. ?In order to explain the importance of the study, a brief description of the content of the three tests is necessary. 1 The Survey of Space Relations test measures, di agrammatically, the ability to judge geometric patterns. The Survey of Object Visualization test also consists of geometric figures but in a three dimensional plane. The Non-Language section of the California Test of Mental Maturity consists of three sub-tests, two involving spatial perception, and one involving recognition of sim ilarities among drawings of diverse objects taken from everyday life. These tests singly or in combination are fre quently administered in many high schools, col leges, large industrial plants, and vocational guidance centers. The tests are combined into a battery in order to measure aptitude in such fields as architecture, engineering, drafting, art, etc. For example, in the screening of ap plicants for a dental technician course at the Un iversity of California, Los Angeles Campus, Guidance Center, all three tests were used. One of the questions the present study will at tempt to answer is whether or not the Space Re lations and Object Visualization tests measure the same thing as the Non-Language subtests of the California Test of Mental Maturity. If the correlations are found to be significantly high, much time, effort, and expanse may be saved, for then it would preclude administering two or three of the tests to the same individual. Fur thermore, if a high correlation exists, this fact would be helpful in making future tests of this nature, more varied in item content and of more interest to the test?e.