Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-GENERAL
Volume 141, Issue 3, Pages 397-403Publisher
AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
DOI: 10.1037/a0025927
Keywords
scientific problem solving; expertise; cognitive ability; individual differences
Categories
Funding
- Direct For Education and Human Resources
- Division Of Research On Learning [0815764] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Research On Learning
- Direct For Education and Human Resources [0831948, 0815930] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Undergraduate Education
- Direct For Education and Human Resources [0806765] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Sources of individual differences in scientific problem solving were investigated. Participants representing a wide range of experience in geology completed tests of visuospatial ability and geological knowledge, and performed a geological bedrock mapping task, in which they attempted to infer the geological structure of an area in the Tobacco Root Mountains of Montana. A Visuospatial Ability X Geological Knowledge interaction was found, such that visuospatial ability positively predicted mapping performance at low, but not high, levels of geological knowledge. This finding suggests that high levels of domain knowledge may sometimes enable circumvention of performance limitations associated with cognitive abilities.
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