It was hypothesized that high visual imagery is a liability during acquisition periods and an asset during consolidation periods of Piaget's stages of concrete and formal operations. It was also hypothesized that at all ages high imagery would be related to performance on a "spatial egocentrism" task. A sample consisting of 195 children from grades one, four, six and ten was drawn. Subjects were assessed for imagery level by the method used by Hollenberg, and on three Piagetian tasks. Results from correlations and analyses of covariance indicated that high imagery does not handicap operational thinking, that it may be facilitative during consolidation periods, and that it is associated with superior performances on spatial egocentrism tasks at all ages. Results also suggest that imagery may become increasingly salient for girls, and decreasingly salient for boys, as cognitive development proceeds. (Author/RH)