Host institution: Lancaster University, UK;   Lead supervisor: Corina Sas: c.sas AT lancaster.ac.uk

Description: Digital technology has challenged the concept of space, and how it can be reached, covered and understood. Increasingly, more problems are posed and solved within spatial frameworks which demand users to think spatially in everyday life, in the workplace and in science. In addition, findings indicate that spatial skills successfully predict long-term future success in science, technology and design. Studies have suggested that the traditional dichotomy between verbalisers and visualisers should be enriched with two distinct types of visual cognitive style which reflect different ways of generating mental images and processing visual-spatial information. Although individuals exhibiting either type of visual cognitive style rely primarily on imagery for solving cognitive tasks, those who are object visualisers are especially good at constructing high quality mental images of individual objects, while those who are spatial visualisers use imagery to represent and transform spatial relations. What is interesting is that these two types of visualisers appear to be mutually exclusive, despite the fact that the strategies of object visualisers are not effective for abstract spatial relations problems.

The project will explore if people can be trained to use their less preferred type of imagery in visual problem solving. Supportive in this direction are findings which suggest that strategic processes are susceptible to cultural influences. The application domain is scientific creativity, and the research methods include think-aloud protocol and eye movement analysis.

Outcomes: This project will develop a basic understanding of the creative problem solving process. It will develop models encapsulating the heuristics employed by different types of verbal and visual thinkers, in the light of supporting creativity training. This will lead to the development of methods and tools for making efficient heuristics available to those individual who usually employ inefficient ones.