The DOI matches its Crossref record; 31 of the 31 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Exploring and Enhancing Spatial Thinking: Links to Achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics?
Abstract
Although neglected in traditional education, spatial thinking plays a critical role in achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. We review this relationship and investigate the malleability of spatial thinking. Can spatial thinking be improved with training, life experience, or educational interventions? Can improving spatial thinking improve STEM achievement? Research indicates that the answer is “yes” to both questions. A recent quantitative synthesis of 206 spatial training studies found an average training improvement of 0.47 standard deviations. Training effects lasted for months in studies examining durability and transferred to tasks that differed at least moderately from training tasks. A few studies indicate that spatial training can improve STEM learning, although more research needs to be done on this issue. We argue that including spatial thinking in STEM curricula could substantially increase the number of Americans with the requisite cognitive skills to enter STEM careers.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Uttal et al. [92] report that improving spatial thinking improves science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) achievements.”
From Opening up Smart Cities: Citizen-Centric Challenges and Opportunities from GIScience (2016) · cites this paper as [92]
Citations
Cites
The malleability of spatial skills: A meta-analysis of training studies.
Uttal, D. H., Meadow, N. G., Tipton, E., Hand, L. L., Alden, A. R., Warren, C. M., & Newcombe, N. S. (2012) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0028446 · Cited by 2,188
When and where do we apply what we learn?: A taxonomy for far transfer
Barnett, S. M., & Ceci, S. J. (2002) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.128.4.612 · Cited by 2,076 · cited 2×
“D figures) were coded as near transfer, but substantially different transfer and training tasks were coded as far transfer (Barnett & Ceci, 2002).”
BackgroundWai, J., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2009) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0016127 · Cited by 2,004
Playing an Action Video Game Reduces Gender Differences in Spatial Cognition
Feng, J., Spence, I., & Pratt, J. (2007) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01990.x · Cited by 1,201
National Research Council (2006) · National Academies Press eBooks · doi:10.17226/11019 · Cited by 653
Educational Research in Developing 3‐D Spatial Skills for Engineering Students
Sorby, S. (2009) · International Journal of Science Education · doi:10.1080/09500690802595839 · Cited by 632
Spatial Thinking and STEM Education
Uttal, D. H., & Cohen, C. A. (2012) · The Psychology of learning and motivation/The psychology of learning and motivation · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-394293-7.00004-2 · Cited by 573
The relation between spatial skill and early number knowledge: The role of the linear number line
Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., Beilock, S. L., & Levine, S. C. (2012) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0027433 · Cited by 554
Increasing Speed of Processing With Action Video Games
Dye, M. W. G., Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2009) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01660.x · Cited by 521
Wai, J., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Steiger, J. H. (2010) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0019454 · Cited by 395
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Kail R., 1992, Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 38, 525
- Kastens K. A., 2006, Geological Society of America Special Paper, 413, 53
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The new science of cognitive sex differences
Miller, D. I., & Halpern, D. F. (2014) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2013.10.011 · Cited by 610
Enhancing Attentional Control: Lessons from Action Video Games
Bavelier, D., & Green, C. S. (2019) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.031 · Cited by 301
How Much Can Spatial Training Improve STEM Achievement?
Stieff, M., & Uttal, D. H. (2015) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-015-9304-8 · Cited by 290
Visuospatial training improves elementary students’ mathematics performance
Lowrie, T., Logan, T., & Ramful, A. (2017) · British Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjep.12142 · Cited by 212
Lee, I. A., Grover, S., Martin, F., Pillai, S., & Malyn‐Smith, J. (2019) · Journal of Science Education and Technology · doi:10.1007/s10956-019-09803-w · Cited by 253
Metadata
- Authors
- Uttal, D. H., Miller, D. I., & Newcombe, N. S.
- Affiliations
- Northwestern University (US)
- Temple University (US)
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2013-09-25
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 367-373
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- OpenAlex
- W2164574416
- Cited by
- 297
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 18.17
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Education
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Spatial Cognition and Navigation
- Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Geography Education and Pedagogy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills
- Keywords
- spatial thinking, spatial training, STEM achievement, transfer of training, STEM education, cognitive skills, STEM careers
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
