A contemporary question is whether the script we read in affects our cognition, termed the script relativity hypothesis (Pae in: Script effects as the hidden drive of the mind, cognition, and culture, Springer, Berlin, 2020). The aim of this review is to examine variation in spatial layout (interword spaces and linear-nonlinear configuration) and…

Visuospatial (VS) skills have been shown to be a crucial foundation for success in STEM courses and careers while the impact of visuospatial self-efficacy (VSSE) has been overlooked. To address the lack of a reliable instrument to measure VSSE, we developed and validated a VSSE scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis of the initial 42 scale items (n =…

Prior research has evaluated the reliability and validity of structured visual inspection (SVI) criteria for interpreting functional analysis (FA) outcomes (Hagopian et al., 1997; Roane et al., 2013). We adapted these criteria to meet the unique needs of interpreting latency-based FA outcomes and examined the reliability and validity of applying…

One factor that may influence how executive functions develop is exposure to more than one language in childhood. This study explored the impact of bilingualism on inhibitory control in autistic (n = 38) and non-autistic children (n = 51). Bilingualism was measured on a continuum of exposure to investigate the effects of language environment on…

Face recognition difficulties are common in autism and could be a consequence of perceptual atypicalities that disrupt the ability to integrate current and prior information. We tested this theory by measuring the strength of serial dependence for faces (i.e. how likely is it that current perception of a face is biased towards a previously seen…

Previous research has mostly approached face recognition and target identification by focusing on face perception mechanisms, but memory mechanisms also appear to play a role. Here, we examined how the presence of a mask interferes with the memory mechanisms involved in face recognition, focusing on the dynamic interplay between encoding and…

Visual working memory (WM) plays a pivotal role in integrating fragments into meaningful units, but no study has addressed how visual WM integration takes place in children. The current study examined whether WM integration emerges once preschoolers master Gestalt cue and can retain two representations in WM (automatic integration hypothesis), or…

Two experiments examined the development of the ability to encode, maintain, and update integrated representations of occluded objects' locations and featural identities in working memory across toddlerhood. Sixty-eight 28- to 40-month-old US toddlers (13 Asian or Pacific Islander, 6 Black, 48 White, 1 multiracial; 40 girls; tested between…

Listening to music activates representations of movement and social agents. Why? We test whether causal reasoning plays a role, and find that from childhood, people can intuitively reason about how musical sounds were generated, inferring the events and agents that caused the sounds. In Experiment 1 (N = 120, pre-registered), 6-year-old children…

Mathematics is an essential subject in schools, helping develop cognitive skills such as critical analysis, logical reasoning, and problem-solving. However, academic achievement in mathematics often declines, with some students having difficulty understanding mathematical ideas. Many factors influence mathematics achievement, including students'…

The concept of number emerges from the interaction of psychological, behavioral, and material elements of numerical cognition, collapsing the distinction between "abstract" and "concrete." This dual nature is evident in the Inca numerical system, where tools like the yupana integrate abstract numerical concepts with concrete…

There is no other stage in life where physical growth and motor skills development undergo such rapid changes comprehensively impacting children's overall development than the early and preschool years. Motor skills proficiency contributes to cognitive, social-emotional and academic development and closely connects to positive transition…

The term learning styles (LS) describes the notion that individuals have a preferred modality of learning (i.e., vision, audition, or kinesthesis) and that matching instruction to this modality results in optimal learning. During the last decades, LS has received extensive criticism, yet they remain a virtual truism within education. One of the…

Driving at an inappropriate speed is a major accident cause in the EU. Understanding the underlying sensory mechanisms can help to reduce speed and increase traffic safety. The present study investigated the effect of visuospatial stimuli on speed perception using an adaptive countermeasure to speeding based on a manipulation of optic flow. We…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of instruction enriched with either simple or complex graphics on perception, interpretation of visuals in terms of the visual language used, and on the orientation of attention on visuals during perception and interpretation of visuals. The study was designed based on the randomised…