Mental Rotation
FREE for use with an Inquisit Lab or Inquisit Web license.Background
Mental Rotation (MR) tests are cognitive assessment tools of spatial reasoning, specifically testing people’s ability to manipulate objects in their minds. The test was first introduced by Roger Shepard and Jacqueline Metzler in 1971. The basic task is to decide whether two objects that may be rotated by different degrees are identical or mirror images of each other by pressing different response keys as fast as possible. Shepard and Metzler found that response times increased proportionally to the difference in rotation degrees between objects supporting that the decision process mimics rotating the images in the mind. Different tests for adults and children are available.
Task Procedure
In the basic MR test the participant is presented with a series of two 3D cube objects that are rotated by different degrees and has to quickly decide whether the two objects are identical or different using the keys S and D to make their choice. During practice trials, the participant receives performance feedback. No such feedback is provided during test trials.
What it Measures
Mental Rotation tests are assessment tools of spatial reasoning abilities.
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
- Decision Speed: Response times (in ms) of correct responses
Psychiatric Conditions
Mental Rotation performance tends to be impaired in patients with the following psychiatric conditions:
- Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
- Huntington's Disease (HD)
- Parkinson's Disease (PD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Schizophrenia
Available Test Variations
A mental rotation task by Ganis & Kievit (2015) using a stimulus set based on the Shepherd & Metzler (1971) images.
The mental rotation task for adolescents used in the ABCD Consortium's longitudinal study on cognitive development from childhood to early adulthood.
The mental rotation task for adolescents used in the ABCD Consortium's longitudinal study on cognitive development from childhood to early adulthood.
The Manikin Test of Spatial Orientation and Transformation as described in Englund et al (1987).
The Manikin Test of Spatial Orientation and Transformation as described in Englund et al (1987). Script runs with touch/mouse input.
The mental paper folding task for children as developed by Harris, Hirsh-Pasek, & Newcombe (2013).
A mental rotation task suitable for children as described in Wiedenbauer & Jansen-Osmann (2008) designed for gamepad input. This script includes pretest, training, posttest.
A mental rotation task suitable for children as described in Wiedenbauer & Jansen-Osmann (2008) designed for joystick input. This script includes pretest, training, posttest.
A mental rotation task suitable for children as described in Wiedenbauer & Jansen-Osmann (2008) designed for keyboard input. This script includes pretest, training, posttest.
A mental rotation task suitable for children as described in Wiedenbauer & Jansen-Osmann (2008) designed for mouse input.
A mental rotation task suitable for children as described in Wiedenbauer & Jansen-Osmann (2008). The script includes only a testing procedure (the download includes one script for keyboard responses and one for mouse input)
A mental rotation task suitable for children as described in Wiedenbauer & Jansen-Osmann (2008) designed for touch screen mobile devices. This script includes pretest, training, posttest.
A test to study perspective taking skill in children using a child-friendly setup based on Greenberg et al. (2013)
A test to study perspective taking skill in children using a child-friendly setup based on Greenberg et al. (2013)
Based on the paper and pencil assessment of left-right discrimination by Money et al (1965)
The Santa Barbara Solids Test as developed by Cohen & Hagarty (2012) in which participatns identify which shapes represent cross sections of a three dimensional object.
A questionnaire on spatial and navigational abilities, preferences, and experiences designed by Hegarty et al (2002).
The Spatial Processing Task as developed by Englund et al (1987).
References
Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Mental Rotation.
Benson, A.J., and Gedye, J.L. (1963). Logical processes in the resolution of orientation conflict. (Report 259). Farnborough, UK: Royal Air Force, Institute of Aviation Medicine.
Money, I., Alexander, D., & Walker, H. T (1965). Manual: A standardized road-map test of direction sense. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press.
Acker, W., & Acker, C. F. (1982). Bexley-Maudsley Automated Psychological Screening. NFER-Nelson.
Carter, R., & Woldstad, J. (January 01, 1985). Repeated measurements of spatial ability with the Manikin Test. Human Factors, 27, 2, 209-19.
Englund, C.E., Reeves, D.L., Shingledecker, C.A., Thorne, D. R., Wilson, K.P., & Hegge, F.W. (1987). Unified Tri-Service Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery (UTC-PAB). 1. Design and Specification of the Battery (No. NHRC-87-10). Naval Health Research Center San Diego, CA.
Englund, C.E., Reeves. D.L., Shingledecker, C.A., Thorne, D.R., Wilson, K.P., & Hegge. F.W. (1987). Unified Tri-Service Cognitive Performance Assessment Battery (UTC-PAB) I. Design and Specification of the Battery. Report No. 87-10, Naval Health Research Center, P 0 BOX 85122, San Diego, CA 92138 Naval Medical Research and Development Command, Bethesday, MD (task description: p.26)
Shepard, S., & Metzler, D. (January 01, 1988). Mental rotation: effects of dimensionality of objects and type of task. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance, 14, 1, 3-11.
Hegarty, M. Richardson, A. E., Montello, D. R., Lovelace, K & Subbiah, I. (2002). Development of a Self-Report Measure of Environmental Spatial Ability. Intelligence, 30, 425-447.
Wiedenbauer, G. & Jansen-Osmann, P. (2008). Manual training of mental rotation in children. Learning and Instruction, 18, 30-41.
Gresty, M. A., Golding, J. F., Le, H., & Nightingale, K. (January 01, 2008). Cognitive impairment by spatial disorientation. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 79, 2, 105-11.
Cohen, C. A. & Hegarty, M. (2012). Inferring cross sections of 3D objects: A new spatial thinking test. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(6), 868-874.
Harris, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K. & Newcombe, N. S. (2013). A new twist on studying the development of dynamic spatial transformations: Mental paper folding in young children. Mind, Brain and Education, 7, 49-55.
Greenberg A, Bellana B, Bialystok E. Perspective-Taking Ability in Bilingual Children: Extending Advantages in Executive Control to Spatial Reasoning. Cogn Dev. 2013 Jan;28(1):41-50. doi: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2012.10.002. PMID: 23486486; PMCID: PMC3593058.
Burcal, C. J., Drabik, E. C., & Wikstrom, E. A. (June 01, 2014). The effect of instructions on postural-suprapostural interactions in three working memory tasks. Gait & Posture, 40, 2, 310-314.
Ganis, G and Kievit, R (2015). A New Set of Three-Dimensional Shapes for Investigating Mental Rotation Processes: Validation Data and Stimulus Set. Journal of Open Psychology Data, 3: e3.
Luciana, M, Bjork, J.M, Nagel, B.J, Barch, D.M, Gonzalez, R, Nixon, S.J, & Banich, M.T. (2018). Adolescent neurocognitive development and impacts of substance use: Overview of the adolescent brain cognitive development (ABCD) baseline neurocognition battery. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 32, 67-79.