Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests show that there is a rise in IQ measurement up to age 5 1/2, yet the IQ levels off and drops at age 8 1/2. The shift from unrestricted television viewing for preschoolers to the emphasis on verbal communication in school may be the cause. Visual languages within a symbolic system could be one method of…

Three papers focus on applications of computer graphics with deaf and severely language impaired children. The first describes a drawing tablet software that allowed students to use visual and manipulative characteristics to enhance problem solving and creativity skills. Students were thus able to solve problems without the obstacles of language.…

This paper examines how visual information strategies may be used to facilitate the development of mental models. Topics covered include: definition of mental models; mental models and visual information; mental modeling concepts; power of modeling, including examples related to physical science, mathematics, writing, and depth of processing;…

Three experiments concerned with methods of teaching mathematical concepts to 2- and 3-year-olds were carried out. The first experiment, in which 12 children were taught the concepts "fat" and "skinny," showed that (1) explicit verbal representation of the concepts was a more effective instructional technique than formulation in terms of an…

This paper presents a historical overview of visualization as a human problem-solving tool. Visualization strategies, such as mental imagery, pervade historical accounts of scientific discovery and invention. A selected number of historical examples are presented and discussed on a wide range of topics such as physics, aviation, and the science of…

A study tested the effects of between-channel redundancy on television news learning. Redundancy, defined as shared information, was proposed as an explanatory variable that considers the relationship between information in three channels: the audio, the nonverbal pictorial, and visual-verbal print channel. It was hypothesized that pictures would…

The inclusion of critical thinking and viewing skills across the curriculum is one way to approach the development of problem solving, which could help develop the kind of students prepared to accept the challenges they face. Using popular media in teaching such skills links critical thinking to life in a way that keeps critical thinking from…

Imagery use in high school mathematics classrooms was studied. A visual image was defined as a mental scheme depicting visual or spatial information, but this definition was not spelled out to teachers or students, in order to learn what they meant by the concept. Subjects were 13 high school teachers and 54 of their students interviewed over 3…