The role of experience in performance on spatial tests: comparison of students and professionals.

The purpose of this study was to compare spatial visualisation performance of two groups assumed to vary in amount of spatial visualisation experience: fashion design students and fashion industry professionals. Participants were 75 students and 38 apparel industry professionals who completed the Paper Folding Test (PFT) (a test of general spatial visualisation skills) and the Apparel Spatial Visualisation Test (ASVT) (a domain-specific measure of spatial visualisation skills). Industry professionals performed better than students on the domain-specific test of spatial visualisation but equally as well on the general test of spatial visualisation. The greater extent of exposure to domain-specific problems and solutions presumably helped professionals perform better on the domain-specific test of spatial visualisation. The PFT and the ASVT were significantly correlated. This study provided a benchmark that may be useful in assessing student attainment of appropriate knowledge and skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]