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Table 2 Steps of the solution process for Raven's matrices, and expected cultural differences in visuo-spatial processing

From: Cross-cultural differences in visuo-spatial processing and the culture-fairness of visuo-spatial intelligence tests: an integrative review and a modelĀ for matrices tasks

Steps of the solution process

Examples of possible cultural differences

1. Structured visual exploration

Lack of understanding or attention to the pictorial information (2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3)

Reading the item in the wrong horizontal direction (2.2.1)

Lack of structured exploration of the matrix format (2.6.2)

Attention to the wrong salient features (2.2.2, 2.8)

2. Decomposing the gestalt of an entry into its component figural elements

Failure or unwillingness to decompose the gestalt (2.3.1, 2.3.2)

Failure to recognize distinct features as distinct components (2.4.1, 2.4.2)

Failure to recognize a collection of features as a singular component (2.4.1, 2.4.2)

3. Encoding the attributes of each component

Failure to encode attributes that have no distinct name (2.4.1, 2.4.2) or a low cultural weight (2.4.1, 2.4.3, 2.4.4)

Difficulty in encoding spatial relations using an inappropriate coding scheme (2.5.1, 2.5.2)

Increased working memory load for attributes that lack dedicated names and for relations encoded in a complex way (2.4 and 2.5)

4. Matching components of adjacent entries

Failure to match components that cannot be reconciled in the same conceptual category

Incorrect matching of components that belong to the same conceptual category (2.4.1, 2.4.2)

5. Pairwise comparison of attributes for adjacent entries

Increased working memory load due to lack of concepts or experience, leading to the omission of some attributes (2.4, 2.5)

Incorrect judgments of sameness between perceptually different attributes (2.3, 2.4, 2.5)

6. Rule induction

Failure to recognize rules based on numeric operations (2.4.3)

Failure to recognize rules based on movement (2.6.2)

Failure to correctly generalize the rules to other rows due to unstructured visual exploration (2.2) or difficulty understanding the matrix format (2.6.2)

7. Response generation and selection

Increased working memory load leading to the omission of some rules during response generation

Allocation of attention to culturally salient distracters (2.2.2, 2.8)

Difficulty with motor execution of written responses (2.9)

  1. Numbers in parentheses in the rightmost column refer to section headings, as also listed in the leftmost column of TableĀ 1