The purpose of the present study was to monitor any improvement
in orienteering skills attributable to acquiring a better mental representation
of space. Two groups were examined: the experimental group, who attended 6 mo.
of orienteering lessons, versus the control group, who did jogging training instead.
Each group, consisting of 20 children, was tested on the Corsi Block-tapping Test,
run Forward and Backward, and the Star-Butterfly Test. Pre- and post-tests were
administered. In the experimental group, scores increased in mean complexity
from pre- to post-test on the Forward and the Backward Corsi tests, while on the
Star-Butterfly Test both time and mistakes had decreased after the training. In the
control group, mean complexity and Star-Butterfly Test scores were unchanged
from pre- to post-test. These results showed that after continual training in orienteering
techniques, the orienteering group was able to remember and repeat sequences
of events with greater precision than before the training, while these skills
were unchanged in the control group after training in jogging
