Use of 3D-printed model of liver by experts and novices

This study investigated the influence of using three-dimensional (3D) computer and 3D-printed models on the spatial reasoning of experts and novices. The task of this study required general university students as novices in Experiment 1 and surgeons specializing in digestive surgery as experts in Experiment 2 to infer the cross sections of a liver, using a 3D-computer or 3D-printed model. The results of the experiments showed that the university students learned faster and inferred the liver structure more accurately with the 3D-printed model than with the 3D-computer model. Conversely, the surgeons showed the same task performance when using the 3D-computer and 3D-printed models; however, they performed the task with more confidence and less workload during the task with the 3D-printed model. Based on the results, the cognitive effects and advantages of using 3D-printed models for novices and experts have been discussed.