Comparative neuroanatomy suggests that the CA3 region of the mammalian hippocampus is directly homologous with the medio-dorsal pallium in birds and reptiles, with which it largely shares the basic organization of primitive cortex. Autoassociative memory models, which are generically applicable to cortical networks, then help assess how well CA3…

Contrary to the conventional view of infancy as a sensorimotor period without conceptual thought, research over the past 20 years has shown that preverbal infants are capable of at least 3 conceptual functions: forming concepts with which to interpret the world, recall of the past, and engaging in conceptual generalization. Research is described…

Imaging, electrophysiological studies, and lesion work have shown that the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is important for episodic memory; however, it is unclear whether different MTL regions support the spatial, temporal, and item elements of episodic memory. In this study we used fMRI to examine retrieval performance emphasizing different aspects…

The existence of spatial components in the mental representation of number magnitude has raised the question regarding the relation between numbers and spatial attention. We present six experiments in which this relation was examined using a temporal order judgment task to index attentional allocation. Results demonstrate that one important…

Sex differences in spatial ability are well documented, but poorly understood. In order to see whether working memory is an important factor in these differences, 50 males and 50 females performed tests of three-dimensional mental rotation and spatial visualization, along with tests of spatial and verbal working memory. Substantial differences…

Children and adults normally interpret the spatial expressions "in front of" and "behind" in a nondeictic way when fronted objects are used. Two experiments involving a treasure hunt game investigated subjects' (6 to 10 years and adults) awareness of an alternative, deictic interpretation. (Author/BE)

Research on spatial thinking impairments, with special reference to right-left orientation, visuomotor and visuoconstructive performances, and finger recognition are examined. It is concluded that, although some dyslexic children do show spatial disabilities, there is little evidence to support the existence of a visuospatial type of developmental…

Forty sighted persons (16 to 40 years old) were blindfolded and administered tactual form perception (FP) and spatial aptitude (SA) tests. No statistically significant correlation between scores on the tactual tests and FP and SA subtests of the General Aptitude Test Battery for sighted persons was found. (CL)

Sex pencil-and-paper spatial tests were administered to 232 boys and 237 girls with an average age of 10 years. Results suggest that sex differences in spatial ability may emerge before adolescence, but they are not necessarily generalized at that time. (Author/RH)

We test the claim that learning and using language for spatial relations can influence spatial representation and reasoning. Preschool children were given a mapping task in which they were asked to find a ''winner'' placed in a three-tiered box after seeing one placed in a virtually identical box. The correct choice was determined by finding the…

According to Annett (1985), pronounced left hemisphere lateralization for language abilities in women, as in female absolute right-handers, limits their right hemisphere capacity and spatial abilities. This study examines the degree of handedness and the family history of non-right-handedness with respect to real-life spatial abilities in women.…

Although the male advantage in traditional spatial abilities is well established, the female advantage in object location memory remains tentative. Object location memory is the only spatial ability that yields a female advantage, leading some to speculate that other factors, such as verbal memory, may solely account for the sex difference. The…

In conditions of slow passive transport without vision, even tenuous inertial signals from semi-circular canals and the haptic-kinaesthetic system should provide information about changes relative to the environment provided that it is possible to command the direction of the body's movements voluntarily. Without such control, spatial updating…

Four experiments investigated whether 12-month-old infants use perceptual property information in a complex object individuation task, using the violation-of-expectancy looking time method (Xu, 2002; Xu & Carey, 1996). Infants were shown two objects with different properties emerge and return behind an occluder, one at a time. The occluder was…

How do children learn math--and why do some children struggle with it? The answers are in "Number Sense and Number Nonsense," a straightforward, reader-friendly book for education professionals and an invaluable multidisciplinary resource for researchers. More than a first-ever research synthesis, this highly accessible book brings math…