The
Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory
Abstracts
Visual-spatial abilities of pilots
Itiel E. Dror
US Air
Force pilots and control Ss participated in 5 experiments, each of which
assessed a different type of visual-spatial ability. Although pilots judged
metric spatial relations better than did nonpilots,
they did not judge categorical spatial relations better than did nonpilots. Pilots mentally rotated
objects better than did nonpilots, but pilots did not
extrapolate motion, scan images, or extract visual features from objects
obscured by visual noise better than did nonpilots.
The results imply that efficient use of specific processing subsystems is
especially important for, and characteristic of, pilots. The possible
neuropsychological bases for the enhanced abilities and their susceptibility to
change are discussed.
Dror, I. E., Kosslyn, S. M., & Waag, W. (1993). Visual-spatial abilities of pilots. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78 (5), 763-773.
