Visual-spatial ability, learning modality and surgical knot tying.

INTRODUCTION The ability to mentally rotate an object in 3 dimensions has been shown with an individual's score on the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotations Test. The was to determine whether this Mental Rotations Test could be used to predict performance complex surgical skill - the tying of a 1-handed surgical reef knot. In addition, we learning a spatially complex surgical skill could be achieved more effectively via a computer-based selfdirected learning approach than with a didactic lecture-based teaching method. METHODS preclerkship medical students at the University of Western Ontario were randomized into computer-based self-directed learning group and a didactic lecture-style learning group. administration of the Mental Rotations Test, the students were taught how to tie a reef knot via the learning modality assigned to their respective group. RESULTS Students Mental Rotations Test scores were able to tie more surgical knots in the allocated time Students learning how to tie the surgical knot via the computer-based self-directed showed improvement on their knot tying abilities more rapidly than their didactically trained colleagues. CONCLUSION The ability to mentally rotate an object in 3 dimensions played an important initial learning of a spatially complex surgical technical skill. Our data demonstrated learning was as effective and more practical than traditional lecture-based learning.