Four experiments investigated 4-, 6-, and 9-month-old infants' ability to perceive whether the width relationship between a block and the opening of a box specified passing through or support. Found that six- and nine-month olds looked significantly longer than four-month olds when a block wider than a box opening passed through this opening. (MDM)

This article describes a theory of computations underlying the selection of coordinated motion patterns, especially in reaching tasks. The central idea is that stored postures are evaluated for the contributions they make to reaching a spatial target. The model explains a number of aspects of movement kinematics. (SLD)

This article reports the measurement of the "veering tendency" of 4 blind pedestrians over 3 15-trial test sessions. Findings illustrate between-subject and within-subject differences in patterns of veering, and the implications of these differences for orientation and mobility instruction are discussed. (Author)

Investigated the possibility that previous reports of a relation between locomotor status and stage-4 object permanence performance could be generalized to performance on an object localization task. Findings suggest that the effects of locomotor experience on infants' search performance are quite specific and mediated by a variety of factors that…

Wayfinding abilities of 6- and 12-year-old children were compared with those of young adults. Six-year-old children's wayfinding performance was poorest. Twelve-year-old children and adults had similar performances. (GLR)

A mechanism of perceptual analysis by which infants derive meaning from perceptual activity is described. Infants use this mechanism to redescribe perceptual information into image and schematic format. Image schemas enable preverbal thought and provide a foundation for language acquisition. (SLD)

In a study of four-, six-, and eight-year olds, communication about the left-right dimension proved to be particularly difficult for four-year olds. Frames of reference that children incorporated into their directions changed with age and differed for directions about front-back and left-right dimensions. (RH)

An experimental group of 20 gifted adolescents was trained in computer-assisted design (CAD). In comparison with 20 controls, CAD did not improve spatial visualization skills. Skills were not related to gender, grade level, grade point average, or semesters of computer or drafting courses. (SK)

Adults, 9-year olds, and 5-year olds were shown horizontal and vertical lines of various sizes, presented on same wall or different walls, and asked to estimate corresponding area. Responses indicated that when width and height were separated, children gave same weight to both dimensions while adults gave greater weight to larger dimensions; when…

Examined sex differences in 4- to 6-year olds' spatial skill. Found that performance on spatial transformation task showed a substantial male advantage by age 4 years 6 months, with the advantage no more robust for rotation than for translation items. Comparable vocabulary task performance indicated that male advantage on spatial tasks was not…

Explores the development of elementary school students' (n=88) understanding of comparing two datasets through the responses of students in individual interview settings. Strategies observed within the developmental cycles were visual, numerical, or a combination of the two. Contains 26 references. (Author/ASK)

Examined whether 6.5- and 5.5-month-old infants believe, like 11-month-old infants, that a moving object's size affects how far a stationary object is displaced in a collision. After a habituation event, tests indicated that the 6.5-month-old infants and 5.5-month-old female infants believed the size of the moving object affected the collision…

Examined development of infants' relational coding in spatial orientation problems. Found that 6-month-olds performed poorly in a peekaboo task in which they had to turn to a target after displacement to a novel position and direction. Twelve- month-olds solved the tasks whether or not target was located between two landmarks; 8.5-month-olds…

Investigated preschoolers' responses to ambiguous descriptions of location. Ambiguous ("in one of the bags") descriptions caused longer search latencies in four- and five-year olds than nonambiguous descriptions ("in the bag by the chair"). The reverse was true for three-year olds. Results suggest that changes in information…

Explains Visual Information Retrieval Interfaces (VIRI) and examines the effectiveness of a two-dimensional display format compared to a more standard sorted result list. The Visual Information Browsing Environment (VIBE) was modified to investigate the interaction of the verbal and spatial abilities of users, as measured by cognitive factors…