ABSTRACT
Spatial cognition and spatial thinking have been given many descriptions varying from “the ability to move, turn, twist or rotate an object or objects and to recognize a new appearance or position after the prescribed manipulation has been performed” (Guilford, 1947), to “the ability to recognize the identity of an object when it is seen from different angles” (Thurstone, 1950), to “the ability to comprehend imaginary movement of objects in three dimensional space” (French, 1951). Such attempts at definition and measurement were adequate as long as a theory of spatial cognition was concerned only with problems of individual differences—some people are better than other people on certain tasks—or with problems of development—performance is a function of age and experience—and so on.
