Exploring the potential malleability of spatial skills through anatomy teaching: A quantitative study among medical...

Spatial skills, or spatial ability, is the ability to visualize and mentally manipulate three-dimensional objects, and is essential to the study of anatomy. This study aims to investigate whether spatial skills required to infer cross-sectional images could be improved through anatomy learning, as well as gender differences in spatial skills. First-year medical students from 2016, 2018, and 2019 at King's College London undertook two online tests examining their ability to identify cross-sections of various anatomical structures and geometric solids from the Santa Barbara Solids Test (SBST). Test 1 took place in October before anatomy teaching, and Test 2 in December after anatomy teaching on the abdomen and pelvis. Mean scores were compared between Test 1 and Test 2 using the paired t-test, and between male and female students using the chi-squared test. Results demonstrate a trend toward improved performance in anatomical questions following anatomy teaching, although the extent of improvement was not consistent across cohorts. This trend remained evident even after exclusion of questions on the abdomen and pelvis. However, mean scores for SBST questions decreased significantly. No significant difference in spatial performance was observed between males and females. Our results suggest that spatial reasoning of anatomical cross-sections could potentially be improved through anatomy teaching. Furthermore, improvements in spatial ability may be transferrable across body systems through the development and activation of mental schemas. However, they may not be transferrable to the broader domain of geometric solids, necessitating further research.