This study evaluated the recognition and retention of transparent and nontransparent manual signs by 50 sign-naive hearing college freshmen. There was a significant decrease in the number of nontransparent signs retained as the period of time after training increased. Implications for sign language training with nonverbal hearing persons are…

The communication of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by a qualitative impairment in verbal and non-verbal communication. In past decades a growing body of descriptive studies has appeared on language and communication problems in ASD. Reviews suggest that the development of formal and semantic aspects is relatively…

Computation can have a profound intellectual impact, like the alphabet thousands of years ago. Using computation, people can begin to outline cognitive structures that will revolutionize the way they learn, although, especially at universities, the dreams must sometimes lag behind their potential due to limited funding. Ultimately, however, the…

TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES FOR SUBTRACTION AND/OR TIME OF SYMBOLIZATION UPON (1) ACHIEVEMENT IN ARITHMETIC, (2) ATTAINMENT OF NUMBER CONCEPTS, (3) ATTITUDES TOWARD ARITHMETIC IN GRADES ONE AND TWO, THIS REPORT ASSESSES FOUR EXPERIMENTAL CLASSES, THERE WERE TWO FIRST GRADE CLASSES OF 20 PUPILS EACH AND TWO SECOND GRADE…

This study examined (1) the level of symbolic capability as revealed in play, (2) the use of spontaneous vocal imitation, and (3) the nature of certain classes of words occurring in spontaneous infant language. Facets of child behavior were examined during the period of single-word utterances and early multiword combinations with a view to…

This study was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness of the use of three different combinations of enactive, ikonic and symbolic representation in teaching multiplication to third-grade students. Ninety students in three classrooms were instructed in accordance with the assigned treatment for nine weeks. Groups were equated using the…

This pilot study was a limited exploratory investigation of certain aspects of visual symbolization ability in matched pairs of literate and illiterate adults. It was asserted that written symbolization serves as an economical means of reality comprehension and testing. This basic function of symbolization must be learned and accepted…

Examines the differential influence of pictorial vs. verbal forms on the comprehension of metaphor in younger (second grade) and older (fifth grade) children through their performance on the pictorial Metaphoric Triads Task. (HOD)

Discusses the problems involved in matching differences between learners and differences between different types of media to improve the learning process. Thirty-eight references are cited. (CHC)

The failure of research on media to deal with media's symbol systems is discussed. Nature of symbol systems is described and related to cognition and learning. Symbolic elements used by media can facilitate the cultivation of mental skills in interaction with individual differences and depth of processing. (Author/RD)

The relative ease of learning with Bliss symbols or words was investigated using four moderately retarded and four severely retarded children (ages 6 to 9 and 14 to 17, respectively) as Ss. It was found that Bliss symbols were the more easily learned and this was most evident among the severely retarded Ss. (Author/PHR)

This article discusses communicative intent in persons with severe intellectual disability in the context of intervention studies reporting the acquisition of graphic symbol use. The article reviews communicative intent as formulated within psycholinguistic models of language acquisition which emphasize pragmatics and the functions of…

Discusses several philosophies of linguistics and semiotics that debate the importance of words and their relationship to signs, language as the primary modeling system, and the historical primacy of verbal versus visual communication. Describes human communication as both language-based and nonverbal, both aspects inviting arbitrary and abstract…

An ethnographic study documented and analyzed the idiosyncratic symbols kindergarten children employ to encode their experiences in the domains of mathematics, music, and visual art, in order to identify any patterns in use and meaning. In the area of mathematics, children were given common objects and asked to sort them. Four categories of…

The "symbol systems approach" to the study of computers in education that is outlined avoids the pitfalls of past media research--particularly research on the effects of television on children's learning and knowledge--and asserts that media can be usefully distinguished in terms of the symbol systems they present and the kinds of…