Positivist methodology, with an emphasis on quantification and measurement, is the most effective approach to behavioral research in geography and is the only means to obtain valid knowledge. Although initial behavioral research in geography was centered on positivist tradition, many of the classic tenets have been replaced. Tendencies toward…

A 2-part investigation was conducted to examine the ways children resolve the inherent ambiguity of spatial descriptions in terms of cues indicated by the three constituents of spatial propositions: predicate, referent, and relatum. In the first study, it was hypothesized that certain objects, structural markers, and definite articles accompanying…

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…

Figures that undergo an implied rotation are remembered as being slightly beyond their final position, a phenomenon called representational momentum. Eight experiments explored the questions of what gets transformed and what types of transformations induce such representational distortions. (GDC)

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.…

Tested the hypothesis that some attempts to reduce the performance demands of concrete Piagetian operational tasks may have allowed children to solve those tasks with preoperational functions. Administered two previously used versions of the transitivity task for length and weight to 120 children six- to nine-years-old. The second version was…

In this study symbolic motor skill acquisition was best when mental imagery was used. In early stages of performance males were more skillful but this sex difference disappeared in later stages of performance. The findings support the hypothesis that sex-related differences may vanish after training and practice. (VM)

This paper investigated three kinds of changes that could occur when a child learns to program in Logo. Novice programmers from fourth grade classes were given three sessions of Logo instruction. Results provided some preliminary evidence that productive learning of a programming language involves a chain of cognitive changes. (Author/LMO)

Three studies of dynamic testing of spatial aptitude were performed with training on the physical analogue of the mental task between the pre-test and the post-test. A total of 129 college students participated. Training increased spatial ability. Other experiments indicated that construct validity was influenced by dynamic testing. (SLD)

A telephone test battery to assess verbal, spatial, and memory ability and perceptual speed in adolescents was developed. Test materials were mailed to 212 adolescents (members of 54 adoptive and 52 nonadoptive sibling pairs). Results show that telephone testing can be satisfactorily used to assess specific cognitive abilities with less anxiety…

Compares gifted preschool boys and girls with both a CA (Chronological Age)-matched group and an MA (Mental Age)-matched group on their performance on a spatial projective task, a cognitive perspective-taking task, and an affective perspective-taking task. The data seem to support the hypothesis that psychometric brightness implies cognitive…

As part of a larger experiment to study computer-based methods of teaching Othello, 24 subjects who had never played the game were pretested with visual-spatial tests. After 16 games of Othello, subjects were tested on knowledge of the game. Correlations of pretest and posttest scores were computed. (LMO)

Discusses the value of building blocks for young children and describes developmental changes in their symbolic representation of space. Implications for activities to promote spatial representation are drawn. (AS)

When asked to construct, from memory, the spatial layout of a large scale area, kindergarteners and third graders placed objects more accurately when they had been presented a story connecting the objects than when no story had been presented. (RH)

Effects of inversion and reversal on children's word recognition performance were examined in relation to age, reading level, and word familiarity to determine whether retarded readers have greater facility with disoriented text than do normal readers. An inverse relationship between number and time ratios was found. (RH)