Mode of presentation and instructions in solutions to practical construction problems

This study examined the effects of mode of presentation and instructions on the solution of five classical practical construction problems by 96 undergraduate men and 96 women. Visual presentation of practical materials was superior to verbal presentation in the solution of practical construction problems. When subjects were instructed to use either imaginative or memory-imagery strategies in solving problems, imaginative imagery produced more solutions. The overall conclusion was that visual presentation of materials and instructions to use imagination favoured development of solutions while the verbal presentation of materials and memory-imagery instructions impeded solution.