實驗一進行性別、題型、以及旋轉物件的角度差三個變相的操弄，結果顯示男女之間在不同類型的題目當中的旋轉歷程不同，而該歷程也與測驗的表現相關，實驗二探究是否可以透過手動旋轉來提高心像旋轉的表現，結果發現，較於觀察學習，男女在手動旋轉的訓練上有顯著的成長差異，女性有著較大的進步。實驗三從旋轉歷程當中提出更多的策略行做為表現指標，並顯示高低能力者在某些策略行的使用數量上有差異。綜合上述，本研究指出探究手動旋轉歷程有助於瞭解心像旋轉的歷程的價值，但仍處於搖籃時期。 ;This dissertation examined the motor theory of spatial ability, which postulated that motor planning and mental rotation (MR) process shared the same representation. It is, thus, possible that: (1) extrinsic rotational path during a manual rotation (motor process) could reveal the intrinsic MR process and that (2) training in manual rotation could enhance MR performance. This dissertation tested these two possibilities and tried to seek for (3) the cause of gender differences in MR based on the rotational path data. Taking the advantages of motion-tracking technology, rotational path of how participant solved a MR task can be recorded. It is hypothesized that differences in strategic preference between genders cause differential rotational path and affect the performance subsequently.
Study 1 showed that rotational path in a manual rotation differed across trial types and genders. More importantly, rotational path is related to performance. Study 2 illustrated that manual rotation elicited differential training effect between genders and induced higher acceptance rating than passive-observational training. Study 3 indicated that specific pause behaviors in a manual rotation can be meaningful performance indicators. Results showed that differential use frequency on some specific pattern of behaviors (composed based on the pause behaviors) contributed to overall MR performance. Study 4 provided further evidence in supporting that that initial observation behavior (one of the pause behaviors tested in Study 3) corresponds to the encoding process in MR process.
This dissertation contributed in providing innovated measurements based on manual rotation. Rotational path measurements can be useful in investigating the underlying cognitive process of MR.
