ASSESSING INDMDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SPATIAL STRATEGIES

This research examined the strategies, emotions, and beliefs described by participants completing a complex three dimensional spatial task. After completing the task, participants examined a video of themselves performing the task. During the video performance, participants completed a thought listing exercise designed to elicit strategies used, as well participants ’ beliefs about their own adequacy and the degree of difficulty of the task. These data were coded by two independent observers. Strategies, beliefs, and emotions reported were predicted both by the sex of the participant and the success at the task. Unsuccessful males and females did not differ from one another in their reported strategies, beliefs, or emotions. However, successful males reported many more specific strategies, whereas successful females reported greater emotional regulation. Additionally, trial and error was identified by successful females as their main strategy. Guidelines for eliciting spatial strategies follow. Much research has examined individual differences in spatial ability as well as individual differences in performance of tasks that require spatial skills. This type of research has documented reliable sex differences in the performance of spatial tasks (c.f., Voyer, Voyer, & Bryden, 1995). However, little of this work has explored the strategies and beliefs that underlie spatial performance. The purpose of the present work is to elicit strategies, beliefs, and emotions used during a spatial task and to establish guidelines for assessing strategies and beliefs in a spatial task. To generate and test these guidelines, we asked participants to complete a three-dimensional puzzle task and then examine a video of themselves performing the task. During the video performance, participants completed a thought listing exercise designed to elicit strategies used as well participants ’ beliefs about their own adequacy and the degree of difficulty of the task