Visual categorization is ubiquitous in many professions, yet training programs are typically time- and effort-intensive. This work focuses on developing methods to improve human learning and performance on challenging visual categorization tasks, e.g., bird species identification, diagnostic dermatology. As part of the general approach, we infer…

Object substitution masking (OSM) is said to occur when a perceptual object is hypothesized that is mismatched by subsequent sensory evidence, leading to a new hypothesized object being substituted for the first. For example, when a brief target is accompanied by a longer lasting display of nonoverlapping mask elements, reporting of target…

The study undertakes to clarify and redefine some of the concepts underlying the relations between visual perception and thinking. A sample bibliography suggests sources for future research. Psychological and psysiological theory is shown historically to have separated the two mental functions in principle. Correspondingly, present-day education,…

In a study which required college students to learn to recognize four flexible plastic shapes photographed on different backgrounds from different angles, the importance of a context-rich environment for the learning and recognition of visual patterns was illustrated. (Author)

This paper describes a theoretical framework for the investigation of some specific types of visual learning difficulties commonly experienced by biology undergraduates. The framework was developed based on the findings of three simple qualitative pilot studies. A variety of neurological, cognitive and cultural mechanisms can influence what humans…

ELEVEN ENGLISH-SPANISH BILINGUAL COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN A WORD-ASSOCIATION STUDY. EACH SUBJECT WAS PRESENTED 35 STIMULI IN EACH OF FOUR CONDITIONS--PRINTED ENGLISH WORDS FOR ENGLISH RESPONSES, PICTURES FOR ENGLISH RESPONSES, PRINTED SPANISH WORDS FOR SPANISH RESPONSES, AND PICTURES FOR SPANISH RESPONSES. THE SPANISH-PRINTED WORDS WERE…

The use of visuals in facilitating language learning is investigated by first looking at the effects of both visual and auditory perceptions on the ontogeny of language. This paper then samples the growing body of research and data on the ways in which visuals facilitate first language learning. The use of visuals in teaching/learning is examined…

Aimed at advancement of the arts through improvement of education for both understanding and production, this long range basic research program dealt primarily with the study of the varieties and interaction of human abilities, the nature of the tasks involved in the several arts, and the available means for inculcating or fostering the abilities…

This volume contains 53 articles grouped under five headings: (1) Research (14 papers on such topics as cognitive style and cognitive strategies, visual literacy training, and the impact of diagrams, type styles, and computer graphics on learning); (2) Theory (nine papers on such topics as the development of visual literacy concepts, cognition and…

Describes the Agam program, a 36-unit curriculum program to introduce students to basic visual concepts and that applies visual abilities and visual thinking to learning tasks. Describes two units at the third grade level, "Ratio and Proportion" and "Numerical Intuition," and makes observations of the students' learning. (MDH)

Based on the more general principle that all thinking (including reasoning) is basically perceptual in nature, the author proposes that visual perception is not a passive recording of stimulus material but an active concern of the mind. He delineates the task of visually distinguishing changes in size, shape, and position and points out the…

The environmental education unit is intended for use by elementary school classroom teachers as they develop and implement programs to help students become visually aware of street environments. The teacher's guide is presented in two major sections. Section I consists primarily of reading and observing exercises. Lessons are entitled "What…