Limitations
EYE
We acknowledge several study limitations. Firstly, Study 1 was limited to the heart and Study 2 was limited to the liver. Future larger studies should evaluate if similar effects can be replicated with other human anatomical regions and organs. Secondly, learning strategies between the high and low SA groups could not be delineated and may have been different. Given the short learning phase, low SA participants may simply lack time to generate effective visualisation strategies to retain knowledge. Eye motion analyses would be helpful in identifying differences in viewing patterns, providing clearer explanations on how the high SA group performed better. Thirdly, self-selection bias may be another limitation in that students interested to learn anatomy before the formal course may have participated compared to those uninterested. Lastly, this investigation was undertaken prior to the formal anatomy course, thus limiting its validity to untrained individuals. It is possible that experienced learners may develop mechanisms to compensate for decreased spatial ability, and further studies in this cohort may be useful.