Excellent at 2D visualization and poor at 3D visualization

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I have an excellent 2D memory but can't bring myself to think in 3D unless it's extremely simple. When thinking of math and the sciences, I think in 2D visualization and it has always brought me A's. In my science classes, I also used my verbal memory as well.

I scored poorly on this test and found myself wanting to tear my hair out. I labored over the test.
http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_pa ... gTest=1118

but when I took an online Raven Matrices, I scored quite high, completed the test quickly, and found it simple to grasp.

My question is WHY? Why do I find nonverbal patterns so easy and simple to grasp in games, tests, ect. yet want to tear my hair out over the spatial IQ test?

Hmmm. I didn't buy the full report. What it gave me was kind of vague.

"Way to go! Your score on the test was well above average, meaning you have a very strong grasp of spatial skills. "

The kicker is, I cannot manipulate any images in my mind. Cause... I don't have any (2D, 3D, colors, text, nothing visual).

Having an abnormally (not saying disfunctional, abnormal is just different) functioning brain makes the accuracy of standard tests inadequate for measuring true processing ability.

Not a pic-nic topic

I score only average in both visual and spatial reasoning. One thoughtful member here suggested I might have performance anxiety for PIQ. In verbal/math/logic/abstract reasoning VIQ I score very high. I have no known learning disabilities, except that I find it hard to apply what I have learned theoretically. This is a very rare disorder.

I was just reading in my local paper that people who play lots of video games have a higher spatial IQ. I have never been interested in these activities to any great extent, except for Pinball and the board games, including scrabble. I did not grow up with such fast moving visuals, though i think in pictures, but they are more complete detailed, personal and usually stationary. I find it hard to follow the quick darting movements of games like World of Warcraft, etc.

Another interesting story in the same paper discussed the decline in the ability use of cursive handwriting, which involves the use of both parietal lobes of one's brain. These lobes' function are a factor in spatial reasoning ). I have always found typing very difficult, and prefer handwriting, as it is faster, but typing is easier to see and conserves space. More words can be fitted on a page. The ideal scenario for me would be to have a computer programme that would allow me to write, and then translate the script into type.

Three dimensional reasoning is tricky because you have to manipulate the object in rotation to imagine the part you cannot see, and then transcribe it on a page in two dimensions. The Block Design test is one in which you have to copy a design using three dimensional blocks but you only see two dimensions in the picture.

If you want to improve this, I suppose playing with Lego or more video games would help. It also is best to do this when you are young, though at any age you could practice.

EDIT: I just read j0sh's reply:

This is an amazing analysis.

I scored only average on this test
but I score high on IQ tests: high on verbal, extremely high on numeric, high on spatial and average on logic.
And as a child I always played with LEGO and other building blocks and construction toys...

I enjoyed building and electronics sets. I did a few mad scientist projects back in my day too. My dad was into old time guns, so I had a nice supply of black powder and molten lead. I made several flash bombs with the powder. I made a rigged pencil fighting pencil. I used a drill press to remove the graphite and filled the eraser end of the pencil with real lead.

As far back as I can remember, I've always loved figuring stuff out. If I'm awake, my mind is probably busy analyzing something. I'm currently working as an Electronic Data Interchange Analyst and love the mental work/stimulation.

Sorry to get a little off topic. All parties involved so far seem to like thinking about mental mechanics, so I shared a bit more about how I tic.

Thanks for sharing, I think it's not too off-topic and I think it's interesting
I'm also always figuring things out and analysing things. as a child I used to take things apart, sometimes break things, figuring out how they worked. My family wasn't always happy about this; I once broke my sister's mechanical alarm clock, turning the crown counterclockwise to see what would happen
That's also why I like doing psychophysics research and it is the reason behind my username
But I would have expected that I would score higher than average on 3D visualisation (and on 'logic' IQ)...

Excellent at 2D visualization and poor at 3D visualization

Apraxia - Constructional Apraxia

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/apraxia/apraxia.htm

Recall reading a How To (understand) book (1981) about ADHD Inattentive by C. Thomas Wild where Wild addressed this topic of 2D vs 3D in detail. Wild reports that a FDA approved alertness aid (Tirend - contains caffeine - 100 mg/14 other ingredients) temporarily allowed him to think in 3D in color.

Thinking in 3D is a part of math and architecture.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/math.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodmi ... ntion.html

They told me:
Your score on the test was above average, indicating that you have a solid foundation of spatial skills.

I never had problems with spatial thinking and was great in Geometry. Spatial skills are one of my strengths. I'm pissed off when somebody suggest me I am/ I should be poor, because I'm a woman.