Evidence for a unitary structure of spatial cognition beyond general intelligence

Performance in everyday spatial orientation tasks (e.g., map reading and navigation) has been considered functionally separate from performance on more abstract object-based spatial abilities (e.g., mental rotation and visualization). However, few studies have examined the link between spatial orientation and object-based spatial skills, and even fewer have done so including a wide range of spatial tests. To examine this issue and more generally to test the structure of spatial ability, we used a novel gamified battery to assess six tests of spatial orientation in a virtual environment and examined their association with ten object-based spatial tests, as well as their links to general cognitive ability ( g ). We further estimated the role of genetic and environmental factors in underlying variation and covariation in these spatial tests. Participants ( N = 2660; aged 19–22) were part of the Twins Early Development Study. The six tests of spatial orientation clustered into a single ‘ Navigation’ factor that was 64% heritable. Examining the structure of spatial ability across all 16 tests, three, substantially correlated, factors emerged: Navigation , Object Manipulation , and Visualization . These, in turn, loaded strongly onto a general factor of Spatial Ability , which was highly heritable (84%). A large portion (45%) of this high heritability was independent of g . The results point towards the existence of a common genetic network that supports all spatial abilities.