Axial rotation affects the cognitive characteristics of spatial ability

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Cognitive Psychology
• Motor Learning

Background:

• Spatial ability is crucial for athletic performance.
• Athletes in different sports exhibit varying levels of spatial skills.
• Understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying spatial ability in athletes is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate spatial ability in athletes with diverse axial rotation experience.
• To analyze behavioral data to elucidate the cognitive mechanisms of spatial ability in athletes.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted using paper-and-pencil and computerized mental rotation tests (MRT).
• Participants included 147 athletes across three sport types: open high-spatial (OH), closed high-spatial (CH), and closed low-spatial (CL).
• Experimental designs involved 3 (sport type) × 2 (stimulus type) and 3 (sport type) × 2 (angle) × 3 (rotational axis), with repeated-measures ANOVA used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Athletes in CH and OH groups outperformed the CL group in non-embodied tasks.
• The CH group excelled in embodied tasks compared to other groups.
• Reaction times varied based on rotational axis and angle, with specific patterns observed at 45° and 90°.
• Sex differences in MRT performance were noted, with males showing advantages in certain conditions and sport types.

Conclusions:

• Axial rotation-related motor skills positively influence mental rotation performance.
• These motor skills can help mitigate sex-based disparities in mental rotation ability.