An examination of how visual perception abilities influence mathematics achievement

The purpose of the present study was to determine if components of visual perception could add to the prediction of three aspects of mathematics achievement (solving applied mathematics problems, correctly identifying mathematics-concepts, and applying basic number comprehension ) after controlling for general intelligence. The sample consisted of 204 young adults (Males = 118)---18 to 27 years of age (M = 19.25 and SD = 1.09). The Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices and SAT Combined scores represented general intelligence and overall academic achievement respectfully. SAT Mathematics and WCJ-III: Applied Problems evaluated applied mathematics. WCJ-III: Quantitative Concepts and WRAT-3: Arithmetic evaluated mathematics-concepts . WCJ-III: Number Series evaluated number comprehension. An exploratory factor analysis of a battery of 16 measures of spatial ability identified three factors of visual perception: Perceptual Speed, Visualization, and Speed of Closure. Visualization was a significant predictor across all achievement measures---with the exception of WCJ-III: Numbers Series. After controlling for general intelligence, Perceptual Speed accounted for unique variance when predicting SAT Mathematics and WRAT-3: Arithmetic; Visualization accounted for unique variance when predicting SAT Mathematics and WCJ-III: Applied Problems; and Speed of Closure accounted for unique variance when predicting SAT Combined and SAT Critical Reading. Additional research will be needed to gain a full understanding of the implications of these findings.