Question

In a mental rotation task, you'd be fastest to match a target object to its rotated counterpart if the target and its counterpart were ______.

1) 180 degrees apart
2) not identical
3) only 10 degrees apart
4) mirror images of each other

Answer 1

The fastest match in a mental rotation task occurs when the target object and its rotated counterpart are only 10 degrees apart.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a mental rotation task, you'd be fastest to match a target object to its rotated counterpart if the target and its counterpart were only 10 degrees apart. This is based on the principle that smaller angular differences require less cognitive effort and time to mentally rotate and align compared to larger differences. When the rotation angle is small, such as 10 degrees, it is easier for our brains to process the spatial transformation and recognize the similarity between the target object and its rotated version.