Examined ways in which irrelevant variations within a stimulus set interfered with performances of second and fifth graders and adults in a selective attention task. Stimuli were constructed from spatially integrated dimensions in experiment 1 and spatially separated dimensions in experiment 2. Developmental differences in perceived structure were…

Describes a computer simulation game that helps teach spatial autocorrelation, a fundamental geographic concept referring to the degree and kind of spatial patterning to be found in geographic data. Experiences with this simulation exercise at the State University of New York Buffalo are briefly summarized. (Author/BSR)

The centrality of intellectual abilities is discussed in terms of two evaluative criteria, given the combined acronym GENECES: (1) the "generality" of the ability in performances on tasks requiring adaptation to, selection of, and shaping of real-world environments; and (2) the "necessity" of these abilities in performing tasks. (Author/LMO)

Sex-related differences on Piagetian horizontality (water level) and verticality (plumb line) tasks were examined by testing 64 college students. Results showed that college-aged males and females generally did not differ in spatial competence although they may be differentially influenced by task content. Implications for theory and practice are…

Describes a four-factor, 20-item Everyday Spatial Activities Test (ESAT) developed for use with college students for studying the contribution of differential spatial experiences to educational and vocational behaviors. Correlations with objective tests, including a test of space visualization, establishes preliminary validity for the ESAT.…

Finds that seven-month-old infants are sensitive to pictorial interposition whereas five-month-old infants are not. Suggests that sensitivity to pictorial depth information first appears between five and seven months of age. (Author)

Speech-action coordination in 100 three and four year olds was measured according to a modified version of Wozniak's hammering-board task. Four instructional conditions (instructional, demonstration, vocalization, no vocalization) were presented in a numerical task ("Hit four times") and in two spatial tasks: three-color ("Hit red,…

Reviews two spelling packages ("Spelldiver" and "Attack of the Spelling Bees") and a reading program ("The Word Bird"), which teaches spatial relationships while encouraging the young reader to read carefully. Includes suggested age(s), hardware needed, current price, manufacturer, distributor, and in-depth evaluation…

Describes a study of children's production of locative prepositions in order to test H. Clark's hypotheses regarding the acquisition of spatial terms. Subjects were required to describe the spatial arrangement of two balls arranged in each of three spatial dimensions. (SED)

Fifth graders, ninth graders, college students, and persons over age sixty-five were given pencil-and-paper tasks in spatial development. Discusses results in terms of ecological validity, experience, and number of competing cues to be processed simultaneously. Used Piaget's formulation on adult cognitive development to explain elderly's…

In two experiments 36 elementary and junior high learning-disabled (LD) students were taught attributes of minerals via mnemonic instruction, free study, or a visual-spatial display condition. In both experiments, students learned significantly more information in the mnemonic condition, and students in the visual-spatial condition did not…

In this examination of young children's acquisition of geometric skills, spatial performances were conceptualized as specific combinations of actions applied within stimulus contexts. The relationships among eight action/context combinations were examined, and predicted patterns compared with observed ones. (Author/BW)

A total of 31 three- and four-year-old children were observed at four computer tasks in order to determine the extent to which spatial knowledge and memory for the language and mechanics of programing were related. (Author/RH)

Investigates distance distortion in children's cognitive maps by testing 129 school children (second, fourth, sixth graders). Results: (1) paths with a large number of segments are perceived as longer, (2) distances along paths with few segments are underestimated, (3) distances along paths with many segments may be overestimated, and (4) younger…

A spatial-arrangement or word-arrangement mnemonic experiment was conducted in which college students studied six lists of 12 words each under conditions of word pattern and/or mnemonic instruction. Both the link mnemonic and distinctive word arrangements enhanced recall during acquisition, but only word-arrangement had a significant effect on…