A large body of literature reports that there are gender differences in mathematical problem solving favouring males. Strategy use, as a reflection of different patterns in mathematical problem solving between genders, is found to be related to cognitive abilities, together with psychological characteristics and mediated by experience and…

The purpose of this study is to determine if the Sharpening Math Skills Lab technology-mediated mathematics instructional practices for math-delayed middle school students have positive effects on their mathematics achievement and spatial visualization ability and to gauge student engagement in learning, implementation of the principles of…

Three longitudinal studies were conducted to examine the generalization of detour ability across motor responses and barrier types, and to investigate the relationship between the development of object permanence and detour ability. Results were discussed in terms of differences in reaching and locomotor detour performances. (Author/CI)

Nine- and 16-month-old infants were presented a manual search problem in which a toy was hidden in one of two inaccessible containers, which were then moved into reach. Older infants performed better than younger infants, performance improved across trials, and more correct searches occurred when containers or trajectories were distinctive.…

One way of providing middle-school students with the opportunity to engage in realistic activities is to ensure that mathematical concepts and ideas can be taught and expressed in contexts closer to students' own experiences. Students are expected to learn serious, substantive mathematics in classrooms in which the emphasis is on thoughtful…

In this quasi-experimental study, 142 fifth and sixth grade students at a suburban elementary school in Northwest Washington State participated in a week-long, 10-hour project using the "LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System" (RIS). Partners constructed and programmed one robot from visually-based LEGO instructions and a second of…

This study examines a series of children's drawings ("Draw for Math" tasks) to determine the relationship of students' spatial understanding and mathematical problem solving. Level of spatial understanding was assessed by applying the framework of central conceptual structures suggested by Case (1996), a cognitive developmental researcher.…

Empirical data suggest that there is at most a very small sex difference in general mental ability, but men clearly perform better on visuospatial tasks while women clearly perform better on tests of verbal usage and perceptual speed. In this study, we integrated these overall findings with predictions based on the Verbal-Perceptual-Rotation (VPR)…

The two-dimensional Traveling Salesperson Problem (TSP) requires finding the shortest tour through n locations. Untrained adults are adept at the task and reliably outperform simple construction algorithms for n= 60. Performance may stem from a specific inherent ability. Alternatively, it may reflect general spatial intelligence, whether inherent…

A model is presented for item responses when different examinees use different strategies to arrive at their answers and when only those answers, not choice or strategy or subtask results, can be observed. Using substantive theory to differentiate the likelihoods of response vectors under a fixed set of solution strategies, responses are modeled…

The study attemped to link cognitive and social problems seen in girls with Turner syndrome by assessing the girls' ability to process affective cues. Seventeen 9- to 17-year-old girls diagnosed with Turner syndrome were compared to a matched control group on a task which required interpretation of affective intention from facial expression.…

Features responses to a problem that appeared in the January, 2001 issue of this journal. The problem concerned finding all of the shape combinations of two colors of blocks in four-block combinations. (KHR)

Presents a problem of tetras made with four cubes, mathematical ideas involved in this problem, and guiding questions for teachers. (KHR)

Comparison of 2 totally blind, 2 visually impaired, and 9 normally sighted children (ages 5-8) on tasks of visual perspective taking found that the totally blind children were older than the other children when they mastered the tasks, made the highest percentage of errors before mastery, and made different errors. (Author/DB)

The theme of the 38th meeting of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 38) and the 36th meeting of the North American Chapter of the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME-NA 36) was "Mathematics Education at the Edge." Academically, the theme provides opportunities to highlight and examine…