This paper discusses variation in reasoning strategies among expert mathematicians, with a particular focus on the degree to which they use examples to reason about general conjectures. We first discuss literature on the use of examples in understanding and reasoning about abstract mathematics, relating this to a conceptualisation of syntactic and…

Arguing that understanding what lies behind the apparent usability of direct manipulation style interfaces might not only help in building better interfaces, but can also draw attention to possible side effects, this paper uses examples from a prototype data manipulation system to pursue a characterization of direct manipulation interfaces as…

Describes three experiments that tested autistic children's nonverbal and verbal categorization abilities. Concludes that autistic children do not suffer a specific cognitive deficit in ability to categorize and form abstract concepts. (HOD)

This report summarizes research on experienced programmers' comprehension of computer programs that was carried out over a three-year contract period (1982-85). Following an extensive review of the programming skill literature, an analysis of programs based on the multiple abstractions (points-of-view) that characterize program text and design was…

The difficulties that younger students experience in understanding concepts related to the use of variables in computer programming are examined through descriptions of two studies: (1) detailed case studies of six highly intelligent children--three fourth graders and three sixth graders--who learned to program in BASIC during 60 hours of…

A sample of 217 students (from grades 4 to 8) who were enrolled in an elementary school science-oriented gifted and talented program were compared to 91 mainstreamed subjects in grades 7 through 10. Assessement instruments included: a battery of Piagetian measures designed to assess combinatorial reasoning, probabilistic reasoning, and the ability…