The effects of stimulus dimension and mode of exploration on preschool children's responses to pattern meanings and unusual uses tasks of original thinking were studied. The 3D tasks generated more responses overall. Visual and haptic exploration combined with 3D was the only condition studied to meet all criteria for construct validity.…

These results demonstrate the kindergarten child's relative inability to produce ongoing thematic activity when this activity is physically separated from the objects involved. (Authors)

Two experiments were conducted to investigate six-month-old infants' recognition memory for the shape of an object following unimodal (visual) and bimodal (visual and haptic) familiarization. Visual recognition memory was evident only when the conditions of familiarization and testing were identical. Two possible explanations are presented and…

Three experiments examined whether 8.5-month-olds considered an object's width and compressibility when determining whether it could be inserted into a container. Results suggested that infants realized that large balls could fit into large but not small containers, whereas small balls could fit into both containers. Infants understood that large…

The study was undertaken to evaluate the nature of sensory dysfunction in persons with autism. The cross-sectional study examined auditory, visual, oral, and touch sensory processing, as measured by the Sensory Profile, in 104 persons with a diagnosis of autism, 3-56 years of age, gender- and age-matched to community controls. Persons with autism…

This study investigated the issue of whether young children understand that the acquisition of certain types of knowledge depends on the modality of sensory experience involved. Sight and touch were the two sensory modalities investigated. A total of 36 children of 3-5 years of age were exposed to pairs of objects that either looked the same and…

This booklet contains activities and teaching suggestions that will help elementary students become aware of their environment. It will help teachers foster among their pupils an understanding of their place in nature, a sense of wonder, a reverence for life, thoughtful use of resources, and the realization that the earth is a home to be shared.…

Two experiments involving 42 students from the Model Secondary School for the Deaf investigated both the visual and tactile components in the processing of spatial information. Test measures used were the Figures Rotations Test, Group Embedded Figures Test, and Tactile Rotations Test. The study suggested that spatial reasoning is a determining…

As a child matures from infancy to early childhood, a shift occurs in his sensory hierarchy from tactile to auditory to visual. The transition between the predominance of the auditory sense and visual sense takes place in about grades four and five. Although the sensory systems do not function singularly (but are integrated in the total action…

The study tested the existence of communication between visual and haptic senses with 3- and 5-year-old children. Major finding: only visual-haptic training improved performance on the haptic indentification test. Apparently there was no transfer across sense modalities. (ST)

Study shows that there are differences in the information-processing capacities of touch and vision and that these differences are influenced by a variety of factors. (Author)

Children from 4 to 7 years of age were tested in a structured perceptual task in which haptic manipulation was available, but not required. The extent of haptic involvement with the stimulus material and its effect on performance in a perceptual recognition task was then determined. (Author/CB)

Yunger children, like adults, are found to demonstrate active tactual horizontal-vertical illusions that are like those obtained in vision. (Authors)