Fields such as geography and astronomy and tasks such as navigation and map use involve spatial relations of objects in the world. Fields such as mechanics and organic chemistry and tasks such as assembling and troubleshooting machinery involve understanding spatial relations of parts of objects and their dynamic interplay. In addition, spatial representations are involved in high-level mathematical understanding, and in understanding the diagrams and data visualizations commonly used in many disciplines. Spatial competence is a fundamental aspect of intelligence, as identified at the behavioral, computational and biological levels. At the behavioral level, both experimental and psychometric evidence have led to the identification of distinct spatial representations and thought processes.
Spatial competence emerges gradually over long time periods in interaction with environmental input.
In an era of rapid growth of technology, a trained workforce requires higher levels of spatial skill than ever before, and it is important to ascertain how to maximize potential in this area. While biological factors may affect spatial skill levels in individuals, there is also evidence that spatial training can contribute substantially to spatial ability. Thus, the proper design of educational input could create higher levels of spatial skill in the population. Current understanding of spatial competence at the behavioral, biological, and computational levels of analysis is sufficiently advanced to justify optimism that research in the next few years can advance our understanding of the growth of spatial intelligence, providing a firmer basis for improving spatial skills in the population, simulating spatial processes by machine and designing user-friendly interfaces. This work will have both basic and applied significance.