Twelve learning disabled (9-12 years old) boys were identified according to special class placement, WISC-R (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) and performance measures. A group demonstrating a verbal WISC-R deficit was sex- and age-matched with a normal group. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) were collected while these individuals…

Chemists have bemoaned for years their students' inability to solve problems in introductory chemistry courses. However, at least part of this inability must be attributed to the fact that chemists have historically tried to teach their students to solve problems by doing nothing more than working examples. In recent years, chemists have begun to…

The relative importance of spatial-position as a memory aid in a block pattern reproduction task was investigated by analyzing the object-selection and object-placement strategies of 69 nursery school children. Subjects were given a task modeled on Piaget's assessment of Static Reproductive Images and Action that had been modified into a…

This paper reports two related experiments, the first investigating whether children 3-7 years old demonstrate Flavell's Level-2 perspective-taking in a cognitively simple task, and the second re-examining children's performance on a task comparable to the Piagetian 3-mountain perspective-taking task. The first experiment involved a task which…

The study of the ability of 16 early treated phenylketonuric (PKU) patients (ages 6-23 years) to solve complex spatial problems suggested that choice of problem-solving strategy, attention span, and accuracy of mental representation may be affected in PKU patients, despite efforts to maintain well-controlled phenylalanine concentrations in the…

Analysis of the conceptions of spatial relations, size comparisons, and gesture imitations of 16 autistic children (ages 6-14 years) with IQs over 70 indicated an inability to acquire concepts of size comparison and spatial relationships through verbal instructions, suggesting a cognitive deficit of impaired symbolic-representational functioning.…

Investigates multiple trends in perceptual development of kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade children who performed a speeded card sorting task with spatially integrated versus spatially separated dimensions. Results strongly support the hypothesis that there are developmental differences in perceived structure as well as ability to…

Used a set of six measures to analyze both the products and process of spatial grouping in 40 children between the ages of 18 and 42 months. Results confirmed and elaborated on previously established developmental findings for each measure. (SKC)

Investigated preschoolers' understanding of two distance principles: the direct-indirect and the same-plus principle. Children did better on tasks relevant to the principles than on principle-irrelevant tasks. Concluded that even young children conceive of distance as fixed intervals. (SKC)

The relationship between the manner in which environments are encountered and the nature of environmental features in the construction of spatial representations was examined. It was found that performance of a thematic activity facilitated construction of a spatial representation of a large-scale environment. (PCB)

A review of recent studies indicates that gifted learners spontaneously produce more effective learning strategies than comparison groups and benefit from the use of more complex, externally provided strategies. Implications include the use of slower presentation rates for new information, spatial organization of prose content, and…

Investigated visuo-spatial ability of a control group and an experimental group (receiving 30 minutes of interaction each week) in undergraduate college biology. Results for the subjects (N=84) indicate that visuo-spatial aptitude can be enhanced through teaching. (Descriptions of interaction sessions and explanations of tasks are included.) (DH)

Reports the results of a cross-cultural study of the development of five spatial competencies in samples of Thai and Australian children. The pattern of development was found to be similar for seven- and eight-year-olds but different for four- and five-year-olds. (Author/JN)

The paper advocates the development of movement programs for preschool visually impaired children to compensate for their orientation deficits. The author asserts that skills necessary for acquisition of spatial concepts should be taught through movement programs at an early age in the normal developmental sequence instead of attempting to remedy…

A study involving 23 blind students (6-12 years old) revealed that age at onset of blindness did not appear to be critical in mastery of space concepts. One-third of the Ss exhibited atypical spatial development, g mastering relative positions of left and right before mirror-image orientation. (Author/CL)