Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Back to all research
Ask AI About This Paper

‘Seeing’ chemistry: investigating the contribution of mental imagery strength on students’ thinking in relation to visuospatial problem solving in chemistry

DOI: 10.1039/d4rp00234b
Baade, L., Kartsonaki, E., Khosravi, H., & Lawrie, G. A. (n.d.). ‘seeing’ chemistry: investigating the contribution of mental imagery strength on students’ thinking in relation to visuospatial problem solving in chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 26(1), 65–87. doi:10.1039/D4RP00234B

Abstract

Effective learning in chemistry education requires students to understand visual representations across multiple conceptual levels. Essential to this process are visuospatial skills which enable students to interpret and manipulate these representations effectively. These abilities allow students to construct mental models that support problem solving and decision making, improving their understanding of complex concepts, for example chemical structures and reactions. The impact of individual differences in mental imagery, such as aphantasia and hyperphantasia, on chemistry students’ spatial thinking when engaging with visual representations is not well understood. This paper presents two exploratory studies that examine how the vividness of mental imagery is related to student outcomes in chemistry-related visuospatial problem solving. The first study quantitatively assessed the performance of first-year university students in tasks requiring complex visual and spatial reasoning within a chemistry context. The second study, involving the same participants, used qualitative interview data to investigate their cognitive strategies with a focus on how their mental imagery impacts their problem-solving approaches. Preliminary results suggest that the vividness of students’ visual mental imagery did not significantly impact their ability to spatially reason with visual representations in chemistry. Our findings also indicate that students with aphantasia may employ alternative strategies that mitigate their lack of visual mental imagery. This paper highlights the need for further research into the diversity of cognitive mechanisms employed by chemistry students of varying mental imagery capabilities.

Authors

  • Lauren Baade1
  • Effie Kartsonaki1
  • Hassan Khosravi1
  • Gwendolyn A. Lawrie1

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to know if having a strong "mind’s eye" helps you succeed in chemistry. They looked at whether students who can easily picture 3D molecules in their heads perform better than those with aphantasia—a condition where a person cannot create mental images at all.

How They Studied It

The researchers worked with 18 university chemistry students. The participants took tests to measure their mental imagery (the ability to "see" things in the mind) across different senses, like sight and touch.
The students then completed chemistry-themed challenges, such as identifying molecular structures and mentally rotating 3D shapes. Finally, seven students were interviewed to explain the "behind-the-scenes" process of how they actually solved the problems.

What They Found

The biggest surprise? Having a "High Definition" mind’s eye didn't actually make students better at chemistry!
The study found that the vividness of a student's mental images didn't significantly change their ability to solve 3D problems. While most students tried to "see" the molecules, those with aphantasia used different "hacks." For example, instead of picturing a molecule spinning, an aphantasic student might use a verbal strategy, describing the rotation to themselves in words or using logic to figure out where the atoms should land.
Interestingly, students with very vivid imagery were sometimes *slower* at the tasks, possibly because their brains were busy processing too much visual detail!

What This Might Mean

This suggests that there is no single "correct" way to think about science. If you can't picture things in your head, you aren't necessarily at a disadvantage in a lab; your brain just uses a different set of tools, like logic and language, to get the same result.
However, we have to be careful: this was a very small "exploratory" study with only 18 people. While the results are exciting, we need much larger studies to prove these patterns apply to everyone.

One Interesting Detail

One student with aphantasia explained that they don't "see" molecules, but they have "impressions" of them. It’s like knowing exactly where the furniture is in your bedroom even when the lights are off—you can’t see it, but you still know where everything is!
This summary was generated by AI and may contain errors. Always refer to the original paper for accuracy.