The joint role of spatial ability and imagery strategy in sustaining the learning of spatial descriptions under spatial interference

The present study investigates the joint role of spatial ability, imagery strategy and visuospatial working memory (VSWM) in spatial text processing. A set of 180 participants, half of them trained on the use of imagery strategy (training vs no-training groups), was further divided according to participants' high or low mental rotation ability (HMR vs LMR). Each group listened to environment descriptions and performed recall tasks before and immediately after training/no-training, and again after listening to a text while performing a spatial tapping task. Visuospatial and verbal tests were also administered. Our results showed that HMR had a better spatial profile than LMR participants, and that only LMR participants benefited from training and showed the interference effect. Overall, our findings indicate that a good spatial ability reduces the spatial interference effect and that poor spatial ability, which is related to the spatial interference effect, can be partially compensated by learning imagery strategy.

► Spatial recall improved after imagery strategy practice in poor mental rotators (MR).
► In good MR spatial recall was good irrespective of any strategy practice.
► The effect of imagery practice in poor MR disappeared in the dual-task condition.
► Spatial ability is central when more spatial information is handled at the same time.