Three studies examined whether and when preschool children are willing to attribute internal and immanent causes to motion. Found that preschool children were more likely to attribute immanent cause to motion in animals than in artifacts and more likely to attribute human cause to motion in artifacts than in animals. (MDM)

Constructing model roller coasters is a great way for students to explore concepts related to energy and motion. Describes making a model roller coaster with 4th grade students. Students learn about different forms of energy and answer their own questions about roller coasters. (NB)

Describes the construction and use of a machine to demonstrate centripetal force. Includes a lab activity for use with the machine. (DDR)

Two experiments tested infants' sensitivity to properties of point-light displays of a walker and a runner that were equivalent regarding the phasing of limb movements. Found that 3-, but not 5-month-olds, discriminated these displays. When the symmetrical phase-patterning of the runner display was perturbed by advancing two of its limbs by 25…

Preferences for moving versus static bars were assessed in 8-, 16-, and 20-week-old infants. Findings revealed that at both 16 and 20 weeks, preferences were affected only by the velocity of the bar's movement. This effect persisted at 20 weeks even when static reference features were added to the display. (RH)

Discusses Rudolf Laban's analysis of human movement and applies it to working with and assessing exceptional children. (JOW)

Argues that "persistence of vision" myth (the succession of still images perceived as continuous motion) has a place in the history of film scholarship but can no longer be given currency in film theory. Suggests replacement of the concept of the passive viewer implied by the myth by an enlightened understanding of how viewers actually…

Discusses the theory behind a study of motion where a hollow plastic sphere racing against a steel sphere in two parallel sections of inclined channeling always reaches the bottom first; once on the floor, however, the steel sphere travels faster, speeding past the plastic sphere when both are about one meter from the base of the track. (JRH)

Memory for object motion in three-month-old infants was investigated across different time intervals in three studies using a novelty preference method. Results indicated a significant preference for the novel motion after a one-minute delay, a significant preference for the familiar motion after a one-month delay, and no preferences at the…

Examined asymmetries in movement behaviors of 36 full-term, newborn infants. The majority of infants had right-biased movement behaviors. Multiple subsystems, rather than a single asymmetric system, appeared to control asymmetric action of different body regions. There were sex differences in asymmetry of distal lower body movement behaviors that…

The parallel force unit model theory, in which the buildup and decline of force in rapid responses of short duration are assumed to reflect variability in timing of several parallel force units, is presented. Predictions derived from this theory are shown to be in qualitative agreement with empirical findings. (SLD)

An inquiry into the origins of dynamical awareness shows that impressions of dynamical quantities are not generally correlated with the values that these quantities take in equations of motion but are highly correlated with simple ratios of kinematic quantities or with specific kinematic features that do not specify underlying dynamics. (SLD)

Activities that use a common fluorescent light as a strobe light to make things appear to slow down, speed up, or stand still are presented. Background information on strobe lights and directions for the activities are provided. (KR)

In two experiments, children and adults made judgments about drawings of a person walking or running. The drawings varied according to whether action lines, background lines, or no lines were present. Seven and nine year olds offered equivalent judgments of action and background lines, whereas adults distinguished between these devices. (BC)

Solicited 6- to 10-year olds' and adults' perceptually ambiguous drawings to which two different meanings could be attributed. Analyzed movement sequences to determine whether movements were modified in ways determined by the model's meaning. Found that drawing was sensitive to meaning at all ages. Sensitivity differed as a function of the model…