Combining information across different sensory modalities is of critical importance for the animal's survival and a core feature of human's everyday life. In adulthood, sensory information is often integrated in a statistically optimal fashion, so that the combined estimates of two or more senses are more reliable than the best single one. Several…

Background: Interpreting cognitive assessment results for individuals from indigenous communities can be complex. Factors such as culture, language, and education may influence results. Although there is research regarding the cognitive assessment of typically functioning individuals from indigenous communities there is limited information on…

The aim of this study was to investigate sex similarities and differences in visuospatial and fluid abilities and IQ scores based on those abilities in children aged two to eight. Standardization data from the Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test for Children aged 2-8 (SON-R 2-8) were used. A representative sample composed of 965 children…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use an established model of working memory in children to predict an established model of word learning to determine whether working memory explained word learning variance over and above the contributions of expressive vocabulary and nonverbal IQ. Method: One hundred sixty-seven English-speaking second…

A good deal of research purports that bilingualism has a positive effect on some aspects of cognitive functioning. However, this effect is not consistent, and little research examines trajectories of cognitive skill development in bilingual children. Moreover, it remains unclear whether different types of bilingualism impact how cognitive…

To talk about space, spoken languages rely on arbitrary and categorical forms (e.g., left, right). In sign languages, however, the visual-spatial modality allows for iconic encodings (motivated form-meaning mappings) of space in which form and location of the hands bear resemblance to the objects and spatial relations depicted. We assessed whether…

Experience with a visual-spatial language may influence certain cognitive processes (Keehner and Gathercole 2007). Spatial ability is an important cognitive skill (Linn and Petersen 1985). Some research has found that deaf signers outperform hearing nonsigners on certain spatial tasks (e.g., Emmorey, Kosslyn, and Bellugi 1993) and that hearing…

This study investigates whether infants are sensitive to backward and forward transitional probabilities within temporal and spatial visual streams. Two groups of 8-month-old infants were familiarized with an artificial grammar of shapes, comprising backward and forward base pairs (i.e. two shapes linked by strong backward or forward transitional…

In this qualitative case study, we investigated the role of an advanced math curriculum with language scaffolding on the development of geometric and visual-spatial reasoning skills in young mathematically promising English learners (MPELs). Specifically, we examined the effects of providing MPELs with challenging and supportive math curriculum to…

Spatial reasoning is critical across the STEM disciplines. Examining deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children's spatial reasoning in mathematics, particularly geometry, as an embodied phenomenon opens new possibilities for deaf education. The authors inquire into the embodied processes and forms of DHH learners' spatial reasoning, considering how…

Visuospatial thinking is considered crucial for understanding of three-dimensional spatial concepts in STEM disciplines. Despite their importance, little is known about the underlying cognitive processing required to spatially reason and the varied strategies students may employ to solve visuospatial problems. This study seeks to identify and…

Recent research suggests that bilinguals might exhibit advantages in several areas of executive function, including working memory, inhibitory control, and attentional control. However, few studies have examined potential bilingual advantages within lower socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Here we addressed this gap in the literature by…

While several innovative pedagogical practices have been developed and implemented in anatomy education since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, considering the value of in-person undergraduate dissection remains crucial. In this commentary, a human dissection course at the University of Toronto is used as an example to…

Social perception is important because it can affect the way intelligence is expressed during social interactions at school, home, and work. This study (N = 800) of adolescents and adults (age range = 16-91) examined which specific aspects of intelligence are associated with social perception (a composite of affect labelling, linking prosody to…

Borderline intellectual functioning is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by an intelligence quotient (IQ) in the range of 70-85. The present study aimed to investigate the mathematical abilities and the working memory of students with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). The sample group included 10 year-old students with BIF (n =…