Pensamento espacial e navegação por GPS: revisão sistemática e síntese temática de perspectivas cognitivas e geovisualização

Abstract

A body of research has consolidated spatial thinking as a distinct theoretical and empirical field within Geography and Geographic Education. Although advances have been made in studies on the development of spatial competencies, particularly in educational contexts, with an emphasis on Geoprocessing and Cartographic practices, most of this literature focuses on the pedagogical effects of technical training rather than on the influence of everyday technologies, such as GPS navigation applications. Based on a systematic literature review guided by the PRISMA protocol, it was found that while spatial thinking is widely described as a trainable cognitive ability that is essential for understanding, representing, and interacting with space, empirical evidence directly linking the use of digital navigation technologies to levels of this competence, or to the effects of their use, remains scarce. The review indicates that frequent GPS use is associated with poorer sense of direction and reduced environmental knowledge. At the same time, individuals with lower spatial ability tend to rely more heavily on GPS. Moreover, different visuospatial abilities predict performance depending on the learning perspective adopted. Taken together, these findings suggest that the relationship is bidirectional: lower spatial ability leads to greater reliance on GPS, while intensive GPS use negatively affects spatial ability. In this process, the user interface, particularly geovisualization and design, emerges as a key factor in shaping this cognitive impact.