This Special Issue of "Language Learning" presents an interdisciplinary state-of-the-art overview of current approaches to linguistic relativity. It contains empirical and theoretical studies and reflections on linguistic relativity from a variety of perspectives, such as associative learning, conceptual transfer, multilingual awareness,…

Atypical processing and integration of sensory inputs are hypothesized to play a role in unusual sensory reactions and social-cognitive deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reports on the relationship between objective metrics of sensory processing and clinical symptoms, however, are surprisingly sparse. Here we examined the relationship…

Autistic people are better at perceiving details. Major theories explain this in terms of bottom-up sensory mechanisms or in terms of top-down cognitive biases. Recently, it has become possible to link these theories within a common framework. This framework assumes that perception is implicit neural inference, combining sensory evidence with…

In this article, the author draws on contemporary science to illuminate the relationship between early play experiences, processes of self-development, and the later emergence of the fractal self. She argues that orientation within social space is a primary function of early play and developmentally a two-step process. With other people and with…

As a dance teacher I am interested in finding ways to improve the quality and effectiveness of the dancers' learning process. My investigations toward this end have primarily focused on uncovering essential somatic characteristics as they relate to dance teaching and learning. The essential somatic concept that the senses and sensitization of the…

The author reviews the controversy over definitions of learning disabilities and posits two "givens" in any defintion of the condition: that all learning is neurological, and that learning is conditioning. He proposes a definition based on neuropsychological dysfunction which can be translated into an educational regimen. (CL)

Research supported by U.S. Public Health Service Grant MH-6415.

Maintains that one future direction for cognitive development research involves a closer integration with knowledge about the developing brain. Presents a framework for analyzing and interpreting postnatal functional brain development. Discusses three contributing hypotheses, within which a variety of phenomena associated with the neural basis of…

The paper examines the nature and remediation of reversal errors in five severely learning disabled boys (9-11 years old). Results of four phases (baseline and incentive conditions) are analyzed for timed and untimed performance of letter recognition. Among results cited are that for all Ss, errors in naming occurred with the letters p, d, b, and…

The effects of laterality, movement, and language on children's ability to conserve multiple space relations were investigated in this study of visuo-spatial dimensionality acquisition. The sample for the experiment consisted of 160 first-graders (80 boys, 80 girls) who were matched on intelligence and socioeconomic status. These subjects were…

Describes some of the common principles underlying the operation of the cortex in an effort to understand the human brain. Discusses the structure of the cortex, its specific areas, and its map-making abilities. Describes some of the recent discoveries about brain operation, development and functioning. (TW)

Argues against the theory of hemispheric dominance and discusses the dangers of developing an educational system based on the false assumptions of two-brain theories. (SRT)

This booklet describes only a glimpse of what is known about the nervous system, brain disorders, and the exciting avenues of research that promise new therapies for many of the most devastating neurological and psychiatric diseases. The neuron, brain development, sensation and perception, learning and memory, movement, advances and challenges in…