Phenotypic and genetic evidence for a unifactorial structure of spatial abilities.

Abstract

Spatial abilities encompass several skills differentiable from general cognitive ability (<i>g</i>). Importantly, spatial abilities have been shown to be significant predictors of many life outcomes, even after controlling for <i>g.</i> To date, no studies have analyzed the genetic architecture of diverse spatial abilities using a multivariate approach. We developed "gamified" measures of diverse putative spatial abilities. The battery of 10 tests was administered online to 1,367 twin pairs (age 19-21) from the UK-representative Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). We show that spatial abilities constitute a single factor, both phenotypically and genetically, even after controlling for <i>g</i> This spatial ability factor is highly heritable (69%). We draw three conclusions: (<i>i</i>) The high heritability of spatial ability makes it a good target for gene-hunting research; (<i>ii</i>) some genes will be specific to spatial ability, independent of <i>g</i>; and (<i>iii</i>) these genes will be associated with all components of spatial ability.