
Janet Mundy
Research student, School of Psychology
- mundyjs@cardiff.ac.uk
- Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT
Overview
Research summary
My current interest is in spatial skills development amongst post-compulsory education populations and specifically how best to assess spatial abilities such as mental rotation. Unlike Maths and English, there are no formal measures of spatial skill attainment within compulsory education, but this is a skills-requirement that forms part of the selection (and elimination) process for highly sought-after careers (such as pilots, air-traffic controllers and astronauts). Many other careers (e.g. therapeutic radiation treatment, laparoscopic surgery, fashion design) may not employ spatial skills tasks as part of pre-selection, but nevertheless require strong spatial skills in things like every-day task planning and implementation.
A key question driving my PhD research relates to the effectiveness of tasks typically used to assess spatial abilities (such as 3D mental rotation). Frequently adopted tasks are often reported as 'challenging’ and 'resource limited’ (e.g. limited access to specialist tools and equipment). Much of my current research has focussed on potential sources of the wide-ranging individual differences in spatial skill task performance using traditional measures. Primarily, I use behavioural experimental techniques and eye-tracking to study task elements in detail, and to seek evidence for current theoretical models of spatial skills strategy development and application. I also conduct studies to assess possible associations between spatial skills, working memory capacity and, for example, personality traits.
Undergraduate education
1978 – 81: University College London. BSc (Hons) Human Sciences
Postgraduate education
2002 – 04 (p/t): WITS Business School Johannesburg. MBA (Masters in Business Administration). Dissertation – Factors affecting the uptake of voluntary HIV/AIDS Counselling and Testing (VCT) Services in the Workplace. Supervised by Prof David Dickinson.
2011 – 13 (p/t): University of South Wales: Masters in Business Psychology.
Dissertation – The Impact of Manipulations of the Displayed Order of Events and Interruptions on Causal Judgement. Supervised by Dr Phillip Morgan.
2013 – current (p/t): PhD research. Transferred from UWE-Bristol to Cardiff University October 2017 following the transfer of UWE Director of Studies Dr Phillip Morgan’s move to Cardiff University. Commencing Year 3 within the School of Psychology at Cardiff University. Director of Postgraduate Research: Prof Tom Freeman; Second Supervisor: Dr Phillip Morgan.
Employment
1981 – 85: STC (AT&T) London. Graduate Trainee then Operations & Methods/IT Specialist
1985 – 89: Coopers & Lybrand (PWC). Management Consultant
1989 – 97: SSL (Solid State Logic). Operations Director
1997 – 99: SSL (Solid State Logic). Sales Director USA & Japan
2000 – 01: KEF-Celestion. Management Consultant
2004 – 10: Goldmund Switzerland. Operations & Business Development Director
2011 – current: Elstons Estate Agents. Senior Negotiator (p/t)
Research
Research interests
Research topics and related papers
Spatial skills and 3D mental rotation: individual differences, skills development, measurement.
Working memory
Funding
Cardiff University School of Psychology PhD Fees Studentship
REET (Roger Edwards Educational Trust) Research Grant - £1,000
Research group
Cognitive Science
Research collaborators
Supervisors
Publications
2017
- Mundy, J. and Morgan, P. 2017. Sex differences in spatial skills: What does the mental rotations task measure?. Presented at: Urban Wayfinding and the Brain: University College London, London, UK, 14 June 2017.
2016
- Mundy, J. and Morgan, P. 2016. The spatial skills measurement challenge: Can eye-tracking capture mental rotation strategy?. Presented at: Experimental Psychology Society, Durham, 6-8 April 2016.