Easy assessment tool for motor imagery ability in elementary scool students

[Purpose] The final purpose of the present study was to propose easy and quick mental rotation task. Since subjects can easily understand mental rotation task that they have to do, the task is considered to be available in particular children. However, existing mental rotation task using specific software asked subjects more than ten trials per one pictured stimulus, meaning that relatively long time is required to accurately measure. Thus, children have difficulty to keep their attention during the existing task and to demonstrate their ability accurately. To address the purpose of the present study, the performance of mental rotation task using paper was investigated whether the performance has similar characteristics to an existing mental rotation task using specific software, in order to verify the usability of the task using paper. [Subjects and Methods] Sixty-three elementary school participants were asked to determine whether a rotating hand picture was left or right as quickly as possible and indicate it by writing a diagonal line on the paper. The total time required judgment of 16 pictures and the number of judgment errors were counted. [Results] The number of judgment errors increased with an increasing stimulus rotation angle. Also, the mental rotation time improved with age. [Conclusion] These results suggest that the performance of mental rotation using paper has the same characteristics as the existing method using specific software. Therefore, the mental rotation using paper would be practical method for subjects having difficulty to keep attention relatively long time, such as elementary school children.