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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 13, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

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Published on: February 19, 2018

Finding faults: analogical comparison supports spatial concept learning in geoscience.

Benjamin D Jee¹, David H Uttal, Dedre Gentner

¹Department of Education, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610, USA. bjee@holycross.edu

Cognitive Processing

|February 26, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Comparing visually similar contrasting examples significantly improves students' ability to learn spatial concepts in geoscience. This method helps distinguish key features, leading to better understanding and accurate conceptual formation in STEM education.

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Area of Science:

Geoscience Education
Spatial Cognition
STEM Learning

Background:

Spatial thinking is crucial for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning.
Learning geological concepts like faults can be challenging due to high visual variability.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if analogical comparison supports learning of the spatial concept 'fault' in geoscience.
To determine how comparing visually similar contrasting examples impacts conceptual understanding.

Main Methods:

Three experiments were conducted comparing different instructional methods.
Participants compared contrasting (fault/no fault) cases, similar vs. dissimilar cases, and schematic block diagrams.

Main Results:

Comparing contrasting cases improved fault identification compared to viewing cases separately.
Early comparison of similar contrasting cases was more effective than dissimilar ones.
Instructional text with contrasting block diagrams enhanced learning over single diagrams.

Conclusions:

Comparing visually similar contrasting cases aids in distinguishing relevant from irrelevant features.
Early analogical comparison of images can enhance spatial learning in geoscience and other STEM fields.