The structure of spatial ability in a population of academically talented youth was explored. Methods of Facet Theory and Multidimensional Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA) were used to analyze the correlational structure of performance on 14 types of figural spatial tests in 2 samples of subjects. As in previous research, a cylindrical wedge model was found to describe the underlying structure well. The facet of dimensionality was represented in a polar way with the three-dimensional tasks in the core of a radex-like configuration and the two-dimensional tests in the periphery. The facet of mental rotation was identified to play a modular role as two different subregions in the SSA solutions, one representing two-dimensional rotation and one representing three-dimensional rotation. Memory load was represented in a similar fashion in one of the projections. Speededness emerged as a separate dimension in one of the plots. Indications for the existence of one more facet were found. The results agreed quite well with findings of previous research in this area.
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Stumpf et al. (1999) studied this question.
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