ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 looks at spatial ability. Questions of interest include: Is there a single dimension of general spatial ability or are there different types of spatial abilities? What kinds of psychometric spatial tests are there to measure different spatial abilities? If there are different types of spatial abilities, how can they be classified? How do people differ in spatial abilities? How large are individual differences or group differences? The chapter then discusses the relationship between spatial ability assessed by psychometric spatial tests and spatial learning in large-scale environments (or cognitive mapping), and clarifies the concept of sense of direction. The chapter also looks at spatial thinking in the context of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning and everyday activities, and finally discusses the idea of individual differences in cognitive mapping.
