The relationships among the perception, representation, and construction of series are examined within a model of the acquisition of seriation abilities. The model is then related to two experiments with three-, four- and five-year-olds. The key feature of the model is the delineation of parallels among developmental changes in three arenas: changes in the information that can be perceptually extracted from a series, changes in the information that can be represented and used without perceptual support, and changes in algorithms or procedures for constructing series. To examine the kind of information that can be perceptually extracted from series, a three-choice discrimination learning task was employed. Three sets of stimuli were employed: three nonseries, two nonseries and one series, one ascending and one descending series and one nonseries. Performance improved with age. The two series stimulus set was the hardest and revealed confusion between the two series. To examine production skills, subjects were asked to perform several tasks involving selecting items, constructing small and large series, and inserting items into a series. Performance improved with age. Random construction procedures preceded systematic construction, which preceded insertion skills. These data were used to support a model of the development of seriation in which perceptual abilities precede or are coincident with representation skills which preceded or are coincident with construction skills. In addition, a parallel in the course of development across the three arenas was proposed. (Author/MS)