A study confirms the benefits in this field of construction toys and video games
Childhood play experiences strongly shape a person’s spatial abilities, which can be critical for success in fields such as science and engineering, according to a new study led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). , from the University of Colorado in Boulder, United States, reported by Europa Press.
Young adults who played construction-based toys like Legos or certain types of video games outperformed other peers on tests of spatial reasoning,such as the ability to mentally rotate objects. And most notably, the gender differences in spatial abilities disappear when the scientists considered the impact of childhood play. “The human brain is malleable and trainable,” said lead author Anne Gold, director of CIRES Education & Outreach. By providing spatial training to school-age children and spatially demanding toys before college education begins, we can give them the opportunity to develop important skills in fields such as science, technology, engineering and math.”
The team, reporting on their work on ‘Geosphere’, surveyed hundreds of undergraduate students and discovered a huge stretch in their spatial abilities: students got between 6 and 75 percent correct answers on a written test of spatial knowledge. This poses a problem: it’s hard to teach a college-level class with so much variability in skill level. Gold and his colleagues tried to explain this contrast because most geologists need strong spatial skills to be successful. “All of these students completed a K-12 education (up to age 17-18). If spatial skills are taught in elementary school, we wouldn’t see this significant spread of skills in the college classroom, Gold says.
Something must be happening earlier in childhood or outside of school that makes some kids better spatial thinkers.” This poses a problem: it’s hard to teach a college-level class with so much variability in skill level. Gold and his colleagues tried to explain this contrast because most geologists need strong spatial skills to be successful. “All of these students completed a K-12 education (up to age 17-18). If spatial skills are taught in elementary school, we wouldn’t see this significant spread of skills in the college classroom, Gold says. Something must be happening earlier in childhood or outside of school that makes some kids better spatial thinkers.” This poses a problem: it’s hard to teach a college-level class with so much variability in skill level.
Gold and his colleagues tried to explain this contrast because most geologists need strong spatial skills to be successful. “All of these students completed a K-12 education (up to age 17-18). If spatial skills are taught in elementary school, we wouldn’t see this significant spread of skills in the college classroom, Gold says. Something must be happening earlier in childhood or outside of school that makes some kids better spatial thinkers.” Gold and his colleagues tried to explain this contrast because most geologists need strong spatial skills to be successful. “All of these students completed a K-12 education (up to age 17-18). If spatial skills are taught in elementary school, we wouldn’t see this significant spread of skills in the college classroom, Gold says.
Something must be happening earlier in childhood or outside of school that makes some kids better spatial thinkers.” Gold and his colleagues tried to explain this contrast because most geologists need strong spatial skills to be successful. “All of these students completed a K-12 education (up to age 17-18). If spatial skills are taught in elementary school, we wouldn’t see this significant spread of skills in the college classroom, Gold says. Something must be happening earlier in childhood or outside of school that makes some kids better spatial thinkers.”
This expert and her colleagues from the University of Colorado at Boulder and ‘Carleton College’, in Minnesota, United States, gave written tests to 345 university students enrolled in Geology courses at CU Boulder. Students responded to multiple-choice questions that required them to mentally change obscure shapes, for example, or visualize the cross section of an object. The scientists looked at the influence of several factors on spatial ability scores, including: college major, childhood play patterns, standardized test scores, number of science courses taken, and gender. They found that childhood play patternsmade a big difference, with significantly higher spatial ability scoresamong students who interacted with construction-based toys and certain video games.
Other work has shown the influence of childhood play on spatial abilities, but Gold’s team showed how the well-described gender difference in the literature is mediated by childhood play. In general, male students did better than females on the test, but young women and men who played construction-based toys and video games performed just as well. In other words, when the researchers controlled for the impact of childhood play patterns, the gender differences disappeared. The new research highlights the need for greater access to spatial training and experiences for girls and women, or for anyone who wants to be successful in a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
In addition to providing spatially engaging toys for young children, Gold also suggests offering spatial training in elementary school or even adulthood. This researcher has preliminary evidence thatpeople can improve their skills with spatial training, either because they lacked spatial skills in childhood or because they have become rusty over the years. “What you choose to do throughout your life can affect your spatial reasoning,” Gold says. You don’t need video games or Legos specifically, but you do need to be involved in something that is spatially demanding. It can really make a difference.”
