Understanding and Developing Visual-Spatial Intelligence

How good are you at puzzles?

Reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS

While the field of psychology has struggled for decades to come to an agreement on a comprehensive definition of “intelligence,” it is generally recognized that people have varying innate abilities when it comes to acquiring certain skills and knowledge.

Visual-spatial intelligence is one such set of skills that includes the ability to perceive, hold, manipulate, and problem-solve from visual information. When you put together a puzzle, you use visual-spatial skills to identify which pieces have similar colors that go near each other or similar shapes that will fit together.

Takeaway

The concept of visual-spatial intelligence is part of Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, which posits that there are multiple ways for someone to be “intelligent” and that different intelligences come with different strengths. Gardner believed that a singular theory of intelligence drastically overlooked many people’s skills.

Dr. Richard Kraft, Ph.D. and professor of cognitive psychology at Otterbein University, says that “Visual-spatial intelligence is our ability to think about the world in three dimensions. We use visual-spatial intelligence to find our way around and to manipulate mental images of objects and the spaces these objects are in. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence have a good sense of direction, and they know how parts fit together into a whole (like assembling furniture from IKEA).”

According to Dr. Kraft, “We can be accomplished at writing and talking (linguistic intelligence) but have a poor sense of direction (visual-spatial intelligence).” (He may have been talking about the author of this article.)

Learn more about the skills involved in visual-spatial intelligence, how to assess your own visual-spatial abilities, and tips for honing your visual-spatial skills.

First, a Note on Intelligence Testing

Much early research on the concept of intelligence was conducted by white supremacists aiming to develop measures that could “prove” white superiority, and modern intelligence tests continue to uphold oppressive standards by exhibiting ongoing racial bias.

Additionally, the concept of “intelligence” has been used to justify involuntary sterilization of thousands of people on the grounds that they had “inferior” genetics and should not be permitted to reproduce.

Takeaway

Although people have varying levels of skill in different areas, and those who struggle in some areas might need support in order to live their best lives, using concepts like intelligence to decide who is “worthy” to reproduce is eugenicist and harmful.

As such, discussions of the concept of “intelligence” should include acknowledgement of the racist and ableist roots of intelligence testing, and future research must consciously work to undo the harm caused by the field. With this in mind, it can still be beneficial on a personal level to understand individual strengths and knowledge, as well as developing skills.

Examples of Visual-Spatial Intelligence

According to Dr. Kraft, people who have strong visual-spatial intelligence “have a good sense of direction. They can solve puzzles more easily than other people, especially something like the Rubik’s Cube. They can walk into a house and imagine what it would look like after knocking out a wall. Understanding architecture and choreography and film directing comes easily to people with strong visual-spatial intelligence.”

On the other hand, those who struggle with visual-spatial abilities “often get lost, even in familiar spaces, even in buildings they’ve visited many times. They generally have a poor sense of direction and have difficulty thinking in three dimensions.”

When you problem-solve with visual information, put together pieces of a puzzle, or visualize something, you are tapping into your visual-spatial intelligence.

Assessing Visual-Spatial Intelligence

The Wechsler intelligence scales, including the Wechsler Intelligence System for Children, Fifth Edition, and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales, Fourth Edition, have Visual-Spatial Index scores which purport to indicate an individual’s visual-spatial intelligence.

Although these tests have the bias issues noted earlier in this article, they can serve as a starting point for assessing one’s ability to manipulate visual information. According to Dr. Kraft, “Standardized assessment usually takes the form of answering questions about drawings of abstract three-dimensional objects. Tests ask what an object or shape will look like if manipulated in some way—often after three-dimensional rotation.”

Takeaway

Dr. Kraft says that it is possible to self-evaluate your visual-spatial skills. You can practice visualizing and manipulating information in your head, or you can see how you perform on visual puzzles and even time yourself as you attempt these problems.

He also recommends finding a quick online test that you can use to assess your visual-spatial intelligence. While online tests cannot definitively determine an individual’s cognitive abilities, they can be a fun starting point to getting to know your own strengths a bit better.

Developing Visual-Spatial Intelligence

There is disagreement in the field of psychology regarding individuals’ abilities to develop or increase intelligence. Our intellectual abilities are influenced by both genetics and environment. Some types of intelligence are considered dynamic, or changing; for instance, our verbal abilities tend to improve with education. Others are considered static, or fixed. As such, it may be difficult or impossible to change your visual-spatial intelligence even if you can work to build certain skills.

Dr. Kraft stated: “We probably cannot increase our raw visual-spatial intelligence, but we do learn to compensate.” He shared himself as an example: “As it happens, my visual spatial intelligence isn’t strong, and I have difficulty finding my way around. GPS has largely removed that problem.”

Those with weaker visual-spatial intelligence might also compensate because they are stronger in another intelligence. Per Dr. Kraft, someone who struggles with visual-spatial tasks but is good at memorization might be able to remember landmarks or other cues to help them with their sense of direction. Additionally, they can ask for help, such as having a friend go with them to new locations to ensure they do not get lost.

Exercising Your Visual-Spatial Intelligence Muscles

Although we may not be able to significantly change our intelligence, there are activities we can do to maximize our potential. We can also use these activities to mitigate cognitive decline as we age.

Skills that require using your visual-spatial intelligence include:

• Solving a Rubik’s Cube

• Completing mazes

• Putting puzzles together

• Reading maps

These activities can both demonstrate your visual-spatial intelligence and allow you to flex your visual-spatial muscles and strengthen your skills in this area. These kinds of brain exercises can strengthen your skills and help you with your sense of direction, problem-solving, and mentally manipulating visual information.

Visual-spatial intelligence is only one of many potential strengths an individual can possess. You can use the activities described here to try and strengthen your visual-spatial abilities. Remember that there is more than one set of skills that goes into being “intelligent,” and struggling in one or many areas is not a personal failing.

Read the original article on Verywell Mind.