Varied conditions under which children aged four to five years matched the area of a rectangle with a given width or height to that of a square. Subjects matched one dimension of the rectangle to one side of the square suggesting that area matches seemed to be based on a side-matching strategy. (Author/AS)

Describes three microcomputer programs that allow geology students to deform two-dimensional images on a computer screen and then to measure changes in angular relationships. Two of the programs simulate pure and simple shear and the third simulates variations in shear strain that occur in shear zones. (ML)

Data were collected on mathematics achievement, spatial visualization ability, student attitudes, sex, parent attitudes, and student career interests of 1982 seventh- and eighth-grade students from 13 midwestern junior high schools. Parent attitudes and student career interests were significant predictors of mathematics achievement over and above…

A number of measures were examined as predictors of graduate students' achievement in inferential statistics courses. The most important predictor variable set was attitudes toward feminist issues. Other predictors included mathematics attitude and masculinity-femininity. Sex-related differences were found on all variables except verbal and…

Relations among aptitude, spatial task solution strategy, and task performance were explored through mathematical models of performance latency. Different models fit different subjects on each of three task steps (encoding, synthesis, and comparison), suggesting that different subjects used different strategies for solving the same items. Aptitude…

The importance of spatial ability in facilitating curricular goals in science and mathematics is stressed. Suggestions are given about materials and activities to use and an instrument for assessing visual perception is illustrated. (MNS)

Two-year longitudinal case studies of 16 Sydney children extended a study of 103 first graders' use of structure across a range of mathematical tasks. We describe how individual's representations change through five stages of structural development. Children at the pre-structural stage showed inconsistent development presenting disorganised…

This guide to Williams syndrome (WS), a congenital disorder characterized by developmental/cognitive limitations but relatively high verbal and social skills, explains the strengths, difficulties and variations found among individuals with the condition and offers guidelines for intervention in the unusual properties of the WS behavioral profile.…

Previous findings have indicated that the reasoning abilities of gifted students are associated with gender differences. However, the factors affecting the emergence of gender differences, including age, remain to be studied. The main purpose of this study is to investigate whether the spatial, verbal and quantitative reasoning abilities of gifted…

This book presents architectural design activities for students to utilize skills in mathematics (geometry, measurement, estimating, and scale), science (materials and engineering), and social studies (surveys, contracts, community planning, and social interaction) to create a playground and to clearly express their ideas about space and play. The…

This book presents research on how some innovations in computer visualization are making work and education more favorable to visual thinking. The book exposes many popular myths about conventional intelligence through an examination of the role of visual-spatial strengths and verbal weaknesses in the lives of 11 gifted individuals, including…

This issue of a research journal on gifted education explores issues surrounding gifted children who also have learning disabilities. Specific articles include: (1) "Notes, Quotes, and Anecdotes" (Francis Cartier); (2) "Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Issues" (Linda E. Brody and Carol J. Mills), which examines current…

Tested students (N=337) in eighth, and again in eleventh grade. Used discriminant analyses to predict how many years of college preparatory math they would elect. The Confidence in Learning Mathematics Scale emerged as a powerful discriminator. Spatial visualization skill was a more important discriminator for females than males. (JAC)

Three- and four-year-old children were tested in their comprehension of locative prepositions. Results showed that those prepositions characterized as positive were comprehended less well than their ostensibly negative counterparts, contrary to theoretical predictions. An explanatory hypothesis concerning children's developing spatial…

Graphic strategies employed by children, ages three to seven, to draw a family, children playing, a birthday party, and a garden were documented. Results indicated that strategies were task-dependent and flexible. The children developed progressively complex graphic routines in relating one figure to another within a composition. (Author/SR)