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Functional perspectives in mental jigsaw puzzles: Insights from eye-tracking, questionnaire, and behavioral data

  • 0Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Plos One +

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April 18, 2025

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April 18, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cognitive strategies in mental jigsaw puzzles show directional tendencies, with smaller parts moving toward larger ones. This mirrors physical puzzle-solving and reveals behavioral asymmetries similar to object mental rotation tasks.

Area Of Science

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Spatial Cognition
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background

  • Mental rotation and translation are key components of spatial cognition.
  • Jigsaw puzzles involve complex spatial reasoning and problem-solving.
  • Understanding cognitive strategies in puzzle-solving can inform the design of educational tools and interfaces.

Purpose Of The Study

  • To investigate cognitive strategies employed in mental jigsaw puzzles.
  • To examine the interplay of mental rotation, translation, directionality, and detour arguments.
  • To compare strategies in mental jigsaw puzzles with those in object mental rotation tasks.

Main Methods

  • Participants solved mental jigsaw puzzles, with eye movements and subjective reports recorded.
  • Analysis focused on directional tendencies, completion times, and movement linearity.
  • Comparison with established object mental rotation tasks was performed, controlling for mental motion angles.

Main Results

  • Systematic directional tendencies were observed: smaller protruding objects were directed toward larger indented objects.
  • Mental jigsaw puzzles exhibited longer completion times and reduced linearity compared to typical mental rotation tasks.
  • Behavioral asymmetries in mental jigsaw puzzles mirrored those found in object mental rotation tasks.

Conclusions

  • Mental jigsaw puzzles reveal specific cognitive strategies influenced by physical constraints, including directional preferences.
  • The findings suggest a link between strategies used in physical and mental puzzle-solving.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role of detours in these cognitive tasks.