Examining the relationship between visual spatial skills, verbal and visual reasoning and working memory

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between visual spatial skills, reasoning and working memory. A total of 55 university students, 33 females and 22 males, were included in the study. Visual reasoning was assessed with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III Matrix Reasoning Subtest, verbal reasoning with the Remote Associates Test, visual working memory with the Wechsler Memory Scale-III Spatial Span, and verbal working memory with the Wechsler Memory Scale-III Letter Number Sequencing Subtest, The visualization factor of visual spatial skills was measured with the Mental Rotation Task and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III Block Design Subtest, the orientation factor of visual spatial skills was measured with the Judgment of Line Orientation Test and the Spatial Orientation Test, and the Burns Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Scale were administered for control purposes. Comparisons between genders showed that males had an advantage in working memory, while there was no difference between genders in reasoning. In visual spatial skill measurements, it was observed that males scored higher in tasks with time limits, while females had slower reaction times. Comparisons made according to the area of study show that students in STEM scored higher in visual reasoning, but this difference did not reach significance level. While there was no difference in working memory, it was found that STEM students performed better in visual spatial skills. While there are strong positive correlations between visual spatial skills and visual reasoning, there are weak correlations with verbal reasoning. According to the structural equation model created within the scope of the research, visual spatial skills affect visual and verbal reasoning through visual and verbal working memory. Gender directly affected working memory, with males performing better. Depression was found to affect reasoning through working memory and lead to decreased performance. This study contributes to the literature by revealing high-level relationships between visual spatial skills, reasoning and working memory. The findings are discussed within the scope of the literature and suggestions for future research are presented.