Exploring the ability of subjects to make accurate discriminations by active touch, two studies involving 20 sighted adults investigated sensitivity of the fingertip in perceiving length, using Braille cells as stimuli. Results indicated differential sensitivity of the fingertip to one parameter of active touch: cell height discrimination. (JW)

A blind adult discusses the need to allow blind children to experience the world through touch. Allowing and encouraging touching can promote self-acceptance as well as learning. (CL)

In three studies, 12-month-old infants were familiarized either tactually or visually with objects and were then tested for visual recognition memory using either (1) the familiar and a novel object, (2) colored pictures of the objects, or (3) outline drawings of the objects. (Author/MP)

Ten "myths" about the Unified Braille Code (UBC) are debunked in this article. Myths address the official adoption of UBC, changes in literary Braille, input from users in determining the UBC's final form, the UBC and technical uses, the UBC and computer Braille translation, and continued availability of materials in current codes. (DB)

Infants were familiarized haptically to an object and then presented with stimuli that were identical to or different in shape or texture from the first object. Infants demonstrated recognition of shape and texture when the stimuli were presented without delay; of shape when presented after a five-minute delay; and of texture when presented after…

The study of infant communication during mother-infant interactions has largely focused on infants' distal behaviours, while neglecting their more proximal behaviours, such as touch. Yet, touch is an important modality through which infants and mothers communicate; it is also a vital means through which infants self-regulate and explore their…

This article analyzes the attraction of stimulation produced by a visuotactile sensory substitution device, which was designed to provide optical information to infants who are blind via a tactile modality. The device was first tested on sighted infants, to demonstrate that this type of stimulation on the abdomen is pleasant and rewarding in…

Previous research has demonstrated that extinction in the form of re-presentation of expelled bites is an effective intervention for treating food expulsion. The current study compared the effectiveness of re-presenting expulsions with a spoon to re-presenting with a Nuk[R] brush for a 4-year-old boy with a feeding disorder. Fewer expulsions were…

The assimilation and synthesis of knowledge is essential for students to be successful in chemistry, yet not all students synthesize knowledge as intended. The study used the Learning Preference Checklist to classify students into one of three learning modalities--visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (VAK). It also used the Kolb Learning Style…

This article describes a lesson plan model that applies principles of universal design for learning (UDL) and multisensory learning centers to the framework of a traditional direct instruction spelling lesson for elementary students with learning, social, and attention problems. It reviews essential components of UDL and demonstrates how to…

From children's viewpoints, what they experience in the world is what the world is like--for everyone. "What do others experience with their senses when they are in the same situation?" is a question that young children can explore by collecting data as they use a "feely box," or take a "sensory walk." There are many ways to focus the children's…

These proceedings contain the papers of the 14th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in the Digital Age (CELDA 2017), 18-20 October 2017, which has been organized by the International Association for Development of the Information Society (IADIS) and endorsed by the Japanese Society for Information and Systems in…

The paper reports on two experiments in Braille learning which compared blind and sighted subjects on the immediate recall of haptically-examined Braille symbols. In the first study, sighted subjects (N=64) haptically examined each of a set of Braille symbols with their preferred or nonpreferred hand and immediately recalled the symbol by drawing…

The purposes of this investigation were to compare an individual's magnitude and direction of error in three tests of kinesthetic perception, and to determine whether individuals tend generally to reduce, augment, or moderate stimuli on all three tests. A single group design was employed, using a sample of 34 male students. The variables of joint…

The purpose of the project was to gain information with which to improve the quality of tactual maps for the blind. Empirical studies of the pair-comparison type were conducted, using blind students as subjects, to determine discriminable sets of areal, linear, and point symbols made in plastic and to identify discriminable sets of linear and…