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Cognitive styles and mental rotation ability in map learning

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Alessia Antonini for help in data collection and Lucia Ronconi for valuable suggestions in data analyses. This research was partially supported by a PRIN-2008 MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education and Research) Grant awarded to the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Francesca Pazzaglia & Angelica Moè

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  1. Francesca Pazzaglia
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  2. Angelica Moè
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Correspondence to Angelica Moè.

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Pazzaglia, F., Moè, A. Cognitive styles and mental rotation ability in map learning. Cogn Process 14, 391–399 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-013-0572-2

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