This paper presents results from an evaluation of using virtual reality techniques to measure improvement of mental rotation ability. We compared the performance improvements of university students in Mental Rotation Tasks (MRTs) in two different settings: a control setting in which participants practice mental rotation in a desktop environment, and an experimental setting in which participants practice mental rotation tasks in a virtual reality environment. Pre- and post-learning session MRT performance measures show that practicing mental rotation tasks improves the ability to do those tasks (p < .001) and that a virtual reality environment can more effectively aid learning (p = .017). We also find that low spatial ability participants benefit significantly more when learning in a virtual reality environment compared to learning in a desktop computer environment (p = .015). Survey feedback from participants suggests that VR learning sessions were helpful because the MRTs were displayed in 3D, possibly alleviating extraneous cognitive load. These results support the proposition that VR can be utilized as an aid for spatial task learning, particularly among those with lower spatial abilities.
Jiang, Elaine,
"Practicing in Virtual Reality Improves Mental Rotation Ability: Lower Scorers Benefit More"
(2019).
Computer Science Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.26300/qr1f-ym17
