Las habilidades espaciales y su relación con los estudios de ingeniería

Abstract

Spatial skills, which have an impact on almost all scientific and technical careers, remain an active field of research, particularly in the engineering area. This work aims to clarify the state of current knowledge on spatial skills, within the intellectual capacities of individuals, developing the concept, the components and measurement techniques. It is a brief historical overview of the stages that are distinguished in research in this area and it justifies their relationship and its importance to the engineering, highlighting the findings from 1920 to present in this field. The tools and courses designed to improve space abilities are profuse; the Michigan Technological University (MTU) and Purdue University are active in this field. Furthermore, it highlights the work developed at the national level, especially that carried out by Dehaes (Spatial Skills' Research Group), made up of researchers of the Universidad de La Laguna and Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.