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Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind
Published on: March 27, 2013
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Beyond small-scale spatial skills: Navigation skills and geoscience education
Alina Nazareth1, Nora S Newcombe2, Thomas F Shipley2
1Temple University, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA. alina.nazareth@gmail.com.
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
|June 15, 2019
Summary
Geologists show superior large-scale spatial navigation skills. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) students also exhibit strong spatial abilities and improve with training, highlighting the importance of spatial thinking in geography and geoscience (GEO) fields.
Area of Science:
- Spatial cognition
- Geography and Geoscience (GEO)
Background:
- Traditional research on spatial skills and STEM fields overlooks large-scale spatial thinking crucial for disciplines like geography and geoscience.
- Large-scale spatial thinking is central to professional training in geography and geoscience (GEO).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare large-scale navigation skills between experienced geologists and psychologists.
- To investigate baseline navigational competence and skill improvement in novice Geographic Information Systems (GIS) students over an academic semester.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Utilized a novel virtual navigation paradigm to objectively measure large-scale navigation skills in experienced geologists and psychologists.
- Study 2: Conducted a longitudinal study with novice GIS students and a control group (non-STEM students) over one academic semester.
Main Results:
- Geologists demonstrated superior navigational competence and route integration compared to psychologists.
- Novice GIS students exhibited better baseline navigational competence, spatial working memory, and mental rotation skills than non-STEM students, suggesting self-selection.
- GIS students showed significant improvement in spatial skills over the semester compared to non-STEM students.
Conclusions:
- Large-scale spatial thinking is vital for success in geography and geoscience (GEO) and other fields involving spatial distributions.
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools may play a role in developing essential spatial skills from an early age.
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