This study applied meta-analysis techniques to the gender studies cited by Maccoby and Jacklin and assessed the magnitude of cognitive gender differences. Results indicated that gender differences in verbal, quantitative, and visual-spatial ability were very small. (Author/APM)

Four groups of children (N=80; C.A. 6.6. to 12.5; M.A. 7.9 to 14.7) were tested for ability to reproduce five-element two- and three-dimensional patterns. Significant interaction and main effects were found. Three-dimensional pattern performance increased with age; all ages performed well on two-dimensional patterns. (Author/DB)

The author discusses children's developing conceptions of how to represent objects artistically. She compares the use of detail, line, viewpoint, and dimension in imaginative and observational drawings by concrete-operational children and cites their opinions about the accuracy of their work. Part of a series on children's art. (SJL)

Reviews seven multiple-intelligence forms (linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal) and adds naturalist intelligence, the ability to discriminate among living things. Considers a ninth form (existential intelligence), challenges the IQ concept and common testing practices, and urges…

Reports on a pilot program studying the use of computer software to enhance spatial skills presumed to be related to success in calculus. Addresses the effects of such a program on female and minority students. Results indicated that the combined effects of the computer, drawing and drafting, and gender variables explained 31% of the variance in…

Explores cognitive operations such as coordination, integration, and structuring as manifested in a spatial context. Relates spatial thinking to enumeration strategies. Interviews with 45 third graders and 78 fifth graders suggest that students initially see arrays of cubes as uncoordinated sets of faces, later as space-filling structures. (FDR)

Examines preschool children's understanding of the mathematical significance of unit size through problems that involve making judgments about the number of larger objects versus the number of smaller objects. Elicits children's judgments about the effects of object size both before and after the presentation of a series of demonstration trials.…

A study compared 17 preschoolers, 18 7-year-olds, 17 10-year-olds, and 21 children with autism and 21 age-matched controls. Children with autism preferred to employ physical causality when reasoning about novel physical and psychological events. A multiple-choice task confirmed their impairment in intuitive psychology while highlighting superior…

This article introduces the concept of a multi-component working memory. Emphasis is placed on the phonological loop component, its fractionation into a storage and processing component, and implications for native and second language learning. An overview of the visual spatial sketchpad and its possible role in language is provided. (Contains…

A study assessed auditory sequential, short-term memory (SSTM) performance in 24 children (ages 5-11) using cochlear implants (CI). The CI group did not have a sequential memory deficit specific to the auditory modality. Visual spatial memory was the main predictor of variance in the language scores of the CI group. (Contains references.)…

Examines whether active instruction in music enhances preschool and elementary school student performance on spatial tasks. Reports that music enhances the spatial-temporal performance of children during and up to two years following the instruction and that the effect is moderate and consistent. Includes references. (CMK)

Explores ways in which 6-year-old children make sense of screen-based images on the computer. Uses both static and relatively dynamic software programs in the investigation. Suggests that young children should be exposed to activities that establish explicit links between 2D and 3D objects away from the computer before attempting difficult links…

The study evaluated positional concepts and balance performance in 67 blind/visually impaired children, age 6-13, to determine the most important conditioning factors. The study also evaluated the effects of 2 pedagogical situations: 1 with more cognitive activity and less motor activity, and the other with more motor activity and less cognitive…

Fourteen teenage or young adult males disabled in print acquisition were studied to determine their patterns of verbal and spatial processing. It was found that, at retest a mean of 5.4 years later, the Similarities score significantly increased while the Vocabulary scores and Acquired Knowledge category actually decreased. (Author/DB)

Described are plans for the construction of seven three-dimensional puzzle pieces from wooden cubes. Provides examples of figures and lists 10 references. (YP)