A large body of data is reviewed to support a new theory of motion perception described by S. Grossberg and M. E. Rudd (1989). The Motion Boundary Contour System is used to explain classical and recent data about motion perception that have not been explained by other models. (SLD)

Recounts one teacher's experience at unsuccessfully solving spatial problems in a workshop experimenting with individualistic and cooperative learning approaches to problem solving. This humbling experience reminded the author that failure is humiliating and can arise from simply not knowing how to think about a task. All humans are "at-risk"…

This study evaluated the peripheral and central auditory functioning (and thus the potential to perceive obstacles through reflected sound) of eight totally blind persons and eight sighted persons. The blind subjects were able to process auditory information faster than the control group. (Author/DB)

A control group of 17 engineering students produced 2- and 3-dimensional shapes with manual drafting tools; an experimental group of 12 used computer-assisted drafting. From pre/posttest data, it appeared that computer models were no better at improving spatial visualization or orthographic projection skills. (SK)

An approach to the transcription of visual art into tactile form is described, with regard to the effects of relief, texture, and picture context. The impact of such pictures on the blind user's understanding of spatial relationships, distance, and perspective and as a stimulus for creative artwork is discussed. (Author/DB)

A study presented four groups of chess players (child experts and novices, adult experts and novices) with short-term memory tasks involving meaningful and random chess positions, as well as a control board composed of geometric-shaped spaces and pieces. Found that child experts' immediate recall for meaningful chess positions was far superior to…

Evaluated gesture and speech in congenitally blind and sighted 9- to 17-year olds to assess hypothesized variations in representations of spatial tasks. Found that a majority of blind children gestured only in the small-scale path-description task. Absence of gesture among blind participants was related to "segmenting strategy" in speech rarely…

Discusses students' use of visual considerations in doing geometrical proofs. Studies ninth-grade students (n=17) in an academically-selective high school in Jerusalem. Concludes that only three out of 16 students who turned in their papers chose symmetry considerations when working on a proof. Contains 16 references. (ASK)

This article describes use of the 16 cubes game with 30 students (ages 7-11) born with blindness or low vision and attending a special school in Turkey. The game develops participants' spatial skills as he/she sorts cubes of various textures into large cardboard stands. The game requires constant physical motion by the child while orienting to the…

Lists six basic principles for building numeracy. Presents variety of activities in four categories of number concepts: spatial relationship, classifying, patterns, and correspondence. Suggests music, movement, and book ideas for each category of activity. Gives directions for making a geoboard and a reusable graph board. (DLH)

Three experiments investigated use of visual input and body movement input arising from movement through the world on spatial orientation. Experiments involved infants searching for a toy hidden in one of two containers. Findings indicated that search was best after infant movement in a lit environment prior to searching; all other conditions led…

This study compared effects of visual occlusion on the motor and spatial learning of 28 legally blind adult males, half due to acuity loss and half due to peripheral field restriction. For both groups, occlusion appeared neither to facilitate nor impede motor learning but did significantly impair acquisition of spatial relations. Results have…

High school students gifted in spatial ability were selected from a large national sample and compared to those gifted in mathematical ability on multiple measures. The students gifted with spatial ability had interests less compatible with traditional coursework and lower levels of academic and occupational success. (SLD)

As one high school teacher found, allowing students to use preferred learning modalities can increase their enthusiasm, raise their achievement levels, and foster growth in other intelligences. This article shows how two students demonstrated their mastery of nuclear and organic chemistry by using kinesthetic and spatial problem-solving…

This psychological phenomenological research analyzed cognition of 7 adult inventors and proposes a theory of original, creative thinking. Spatial intelligence is reviewed. Results provide 7 findings, including cognitive, motivational, affective, and psychokinesthetic factors. Spatial-temporal intelligence is theorized as an abstract model of…