The Spatial Thinking & STEM Learning lab researches the connection between individual differences in spatial thinking and learning in STEM fields, and then uses those connections to develop assessments and interventions. Since spatial thinking is found in a wide variety of domains, the lab focuses on spatial skills and strategies in three areas:
- First-year college students learning physics
- Elementary students learning math (and their teachers teaching math)
- Sense-of-direction in navigation
While seemingly disparate areas, the lab seeks to connect these areas through theoretical perspectives, methods, and analytic techniques drawn from cognitive psychology, educational psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.