Mental Rotation Task for Children

Background

The Mental Rotation Task for children was introduced by Gunnar Wiedenbauer and Petra Jansen-Osmann in 2008. Like the adult versions, children are asked to identify whether two objects might be the same or mirror images of each other. In contrast to the adult versions, the objects are simple animal shapes that are more concrete and familiar than cube objects and only need to be rotated in a 2-dimensional space. The Children’s Mental Rotation Task not only provides a test session but can also be run with a training module for children to physically rotate the objects on screen either with a joystick, by touch or mouse input, or by keyboard.

Task Procedure

During the test a participant works on a series of trials. Each trial presents a non-rotated baseline animal (on the left side) and a rotated comparison animal (on the right side). The participant is asked to decide as quickly as possible if the two animals are identical or mirror images of each other.

During a training trial, the child again sees two animals. This time, however, the child is asked to physically rotate the comparison animal on the screen (e.g. via joystick input) to bring it into the same position as the baseline animal.

What it Measures

The Mental Rotation task for children can be used as an assessment and training tool of spatial reasoning with the focus on mental rotation skills.

Psychological domains

• General Intelligence: Ability to learn from experience, adapt to new environments, and apply knowledge to solve problems
• Spatial Reasoning: Ability to mentally visualize, organize, and transform objects
• Visuospatial Working Memory: Temporary storage and active manipulation of visual and spatial information

Main Performance Metrics

• Accuracy: Number of correct (error) responses/Proportion Correct (Incorrect) Responses/ Percent Correct (incorrect) Responses

Psychiatric Conditions

The Mental Rotation Task for children is mainly used for training and assessment of spatial reasoning in children. Generally, mental rotation performance may be impaired in young patients with the following conditions:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)