Mental Rotation Task
The Mental Rotation Task measures spatial reasoning: each trial shows a target picture and two comparison pictures rotated on screen — decide which comparison is the same object rather than its mirror image.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What does this task measure?
How quickly and accurately you can judge whether a rotated picture is the same object or its mirror image. In classic mental rotation research, response time grows as the angle of rotation increases.
What will I see?
A target picture and two comparison pictures rotated on screen by 0, 60, 120, or 180 degrees. One comparison is the same picture; the other is its mirror image.
How should I read my results?
Look at accuracy and median response time per angle and the fitted slope. A positive slope together with high accuracy suggests you mentally rotated the figure. A single session is only indicative — practice, fatigue, and picture set all influence the numbers.
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Implementation
Adapted from the classic Shepard & Metzler mental rotation paradigm with one disclosed change: instead of hand-drawn 3D polygon pairs, this version rotates 2D pictures on screen (CSS rotation). Each trial shows an unrotated target and two comparison pictures — one is the same picture, the other its mirror image — rotated by 0, 60, 120, or 180 degrees. The main phase has 24 trials (six per angle), so rotation angle is a real experimental variable rather than a manual control.
Metrics
Per trial, the task records the rotation angle, response time, and accuracy. Results include accuracy and median response time per angle, plus a least-squares regression of median response time on angle: the slope (ms/degree), the rotation rate (1000 ÷ slope, in deg/sec, shown only when the slope is positive), and R².
References
- Shepard, R. N., & Metzler, J. (1971). Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects. Science, 171(3972), 701-703. 10.1126/science.171.3972.701
- Vandenberg, S. G., & Kuse, A. R. (1978). Mental rotations, a group test of three-dimensional spatial visualization. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 47(2), 599-604. 10.2466/pms.1978.47.2.599
- Ganis, G., & Kievit, R. (2015). A new set of three-dimensional shapes for investigating mental rotation processes: Validation data and stimulus set. Journal of Open Psychology Data, 3(1), 1. 10.5334/jopd.ai
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About This Experiment
This experiment is an educational adaptation for demonstration purposes. It is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Results reflect your performance in this specific session and should not be interpreted as an assessment of your cognitive abilities.
Data Privacy
Your experiment data is processed and stored locally in your browser. No data is uploaded to any server unless you explicitly export it.
