Block design performance in the Williams syndrome phenotype: a problem with mental imagery?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a distinct cognitive profile.
• Individuals with WS often exhibit poorer nonverbal abilities relative to verbal abilities.
• Block construction tasks are particularly challenging for individuals with WS, indicating a potential weakness in specific nonverbal skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cognitive underpinnings of difficulties in block construction tasks among individuals with WS.
• To examine processing preferences (local vs. global) and mental imagery abilities in WS.
• To compare these abilities between individuals with WS and typically developing (TD) controls.

Main Methods:

• A novel 2D block construction task (Squares task) was used, manipulating segmentation, perceptual cohesiveness, and obliqueness.
• The Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) assessed processing style.
• A mental rotation task evaluated mental imagery capabilities.
• The study included 21 individuals with WS and 21 TD controls.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was found in processing style between the WS and TD groups.
• Individuals with WS demonstrated significantly poorer mental imagery abilities compared to the TD group.
• Performance on the Squares task was linked to mental imagery, not processing preference.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that impaired mental imagery, rather than altered processing style, contributes to the challenges faced by individuals with WS in block construction tasks.
• This highlights mental imagery as a key cognitive factor in the nonverbal deficits observed in Williams syndrome.
• Interventions targeting mental imagery may benefit individuals with WS.