Spatial Reasoning

Spatial reasoning is the ability we use to position and orientate ourselves in everyday environments. This ability is present in all animals and humans to a more or lesser extent. Spatial reasoning consists of two main abilities namely spatial visualization ability which is your ability to call up images in your mind and the ability to reason with these images.

Spatial Reasoning in Jobs

Spatial reasoning is an essential competence in a lot of technical careers like architect or chemist. An architect has to be able to visualize a house from the drawing table to make sure the house will be correctly built, the construction has to be in order but also the available space has to be used as efficiently as possible. A chemist has to be able to visualize a 3-dimensional representation of very small particles like atoms and molecules so that he can figure out chemical reactions.

Spatial Visualization Ability

Ones spatial visualization ability is inseparably connected to what is called – spatial reasoning ability. Spatial reasoning skills and thus spatial visualization ability can be developed depending on the concerning individual or species. The grade of development of this ability decides how you are able to imagine a given spatial location on:

Explanation:

Information which is already present in the memory due to earlier observations or learning processes
Information which is learned when dealing with this spatial location

For example try to visualize a room or a location when you are not actually physically there. The better your spatial reasoning skills are, the more detailed you will be able to visualize this room or location, thus the better your spatial visualization ability is. However your spatial visualization ability also influences your ability to mentally manipulate these images in your mind for example to imagine how the room or location would look from another viewpoint. Mentally manipulating images in your mind is a balanced team effort of your spatial visualization ability and your spatial reasoning skills. So being good at one can enhance the other however most people are either good at both or at neither:

Summarised:

Spatial reasoning: The ability to reason with spatial images
Spatial visualization ability: The ability to imagine or visualize spatial images in your mind

Spatial Reasoning in Tests

Spatial reasoning is a common part of intelligence tests, pre-employment tests and admission tests to certain educations. Also spatial reasoning is generally regarded as one of the most basic reasoning abilities together with verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning. To have a general idea of ones IQ normally a subject is tested on all these fields and the average score determines his or hers IQ. In technical jobs and educations spatial reasoning is a very important and powerful problem solving tool.

Spatial Reasoning Test