Elementary school children were interviewed about how gears move on a gearboard and how they work in commonplace machines. Children's reasoning became more general, formal, and mathematical as problem complexity increased, suggesting that mathematical forms of reason may develop when they provide a clear advantage over simple causal…

Children's understanding of Euclidian space was investigated using three Piaget-type tasks to examine the ability of children to quantitatively locate a point in one, two, and three dimensions. Among the findings were that a disagreement exists between Piaget's data and the results of this study. (BT)

Investigated proportional reasoning abilities of 35 college science students using projection of shadows problem while presenting relevant only or relevant/irrelevant information. Field independence was measured using Group Embedded Figures Test. Students in relevant only condition performed significantly better. Degree of field independence…