The use of non-spatial strategies in the Direction Orientation Task

Abstract

Spatial ability has been identified as one of the skills needed to be a pilot. However, the test used by the military to measure this ability, the Direction Orientation Task (DOT), has a number of problems. The DOT2, was developed to address issues such as a ceiling effect and the limited number of possible trials. The initial DOT2 validation was done with a group of Naval Aviators, however the current study sought to collect further evidence, within a more variable population. A group of students completed the new DOT2 task, along with a survey on strategy use. We found that the percentage of time participants reported using a math strategy on the task was highly correlated with accuracy whereas the use of a spatial strategy was negatively correlated with accuracy. A similar mathematical solution can be applied to the original DOT, suggesting neither tests may be measuring spatial ability.