Investigates the exploratory behavior of young children as it relates to individual differences in curiosity, the novelty of the objects explored, and the interactive style employed by an adult experimenter. (Author/MP)

Studied the early development of exploratory behavior in 99 infants of 2-5 months. Results show that there are significant changes in spontaneous multimodal exploration of a novel object between 2 and 5 months. (RJC)

Comparison of 40 children with Down's syndrome and typically developing children (matched for mental age) found that the children with Down's syndrome appeared less engaged in a task, as indicated by shorter sequences of goal directed behavior and higher rates of toy rejection. They also displayed less causality pleasure with object exploration…

Toddlers with Down's syndrome (n=42) were presented with situations in which the primary focus alternated between an object stimulus and a social stimulus. The experimental subjects monitored their environment in the same manner as did the 25 control subjects (matched for mental age) during object mastery but had a more focused attention style…

The development of object play was longitudinally examined in 40 children ages 11 to 27 months. The types of object play observed in nondisabled children were observed in children with disabilities at comparable developmental ages. Duration and frequency of active involvement with objects were greater for nondisabled children than for children…

Although a considerable amount is known about the development of object manipulation during the 1st year, less is known about how infants manually explore surfaces and relate objects to surfaces. To address these issues, 60 infants (20 each at 6, 8, and 10 months of age) were presented hard and soft objects on tabletop surfaces, which varied in…

This study sought to determine whether there exist performance distinctions between artists and nonartists on specific two- and three-dimensional nonverbal problems. The factorial structure of scores on ten nonverbal ability tests was analyzed to identify mental process differences between the two groups. (Author/SJL)

Using Jean Piaget's theory of spatial development, a study was undertaken to identify the development of spatial concepts in 48 blind, partially sighted, and sighted 4-to-7-year-old children through the use of tactual recognition of shapes. (Author/PHR)

A study compared the motor coordination of 26 Japanese children (ages 6-15) with Asperger syndrome and 14 with learning disabilities using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. Although no relationship was found between intellectual and motor function, both groups demonstrated motor delay. Children with autism had poorer ball skills. (CR)

To establish baseline data on South African children's behavior, observed 80 children at home and interviewed the children's primary caregiver. Gathered data on patterns of interaction and language use, content of activity, and use of objects. Presents general biographical and behavioral data, notes gender differences, and compares this data to…

Researchers studying monitoring accuracy currently use two different indexes to estimate accuracy: relative accuracy and absolute accuracy. The authors compared the distributional properties of two measures of monitoring accuracy using Monte Carlo procedures that fit within these categories. They manipulated the accuracy of judgments (i.e., chance…

Baumeister's (1968) hypothesis that mentally retarded children exhibit depressed levels of performance and greater intra-individual variability when compared to intellectually non-handicapped children of similar chronological age was investigated. Eight 10-year-old educable mentally retarded boys and 16 non-handicapped boys, matched by either…

In order to understand learners and players in relation to environments typically found in sport, it is necessary to first understand the individual as an information processor who must sample information from the environment, interpret it, organize or select an appropriate motor response, and execute that response. One of the most difficult…

Responses of itinerant, resource room, and residential school teachers to a questionnaire regarding adaptive hand function of blind, visually-impaired, and visually/multiply-handicapped 2- to 19-year-olds (N=148) indicated that physiological integrity was not a sufficient condition for development of adaptive hand function, suggesting that manual…

Maintains that young children learn to think when they act on objects, thus developing what Piaget refers to as physical and logico-mathematical knowledge. Teachers can encourage thinking/mental action by creating situations that are personally meaningful to the children, by providing decision-making opportunities, and by providing opportunities…