RECENTLY MUCH ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE SUBJECT OF CONCEPT FORMATION IN CHILDREN. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPATIAL PERCEPTION IS AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS, AND ONE IMPORTANT PART OF SPATIAL PERCEPTION IS HAPTIC PERCEPTION--THE RECOGNITION OF OBJECTS BY TOUCH. THIS STUDY IS A LONGITUDINAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RETENTION OF HAPTIC ABILITIES…

Communication theories provide some assistance to these involved with interpretive reading, but the performance of literature calls for its own theory based on meaning and the unique qualities of interpretive skills. Theories of meaning involve both word meaning, based on the generalized processes of shared language experiences, and a personalized…

This booklet is intended to provide a number of experiments and demonstrations in each area of psychology which may be carried out in situations where the instructor wishes to provide class involvement and some understanding of experimental procedure, but does not have access to the apparatus generally used in experimental psychology. The 75…

Mathematical techniques are developed for studying psychological problems in three fields: (1) psychological scaling, (2) learning and concept formation, and (3) mental measurement. Psychological scaling procedures are demonstrated to be useful in many areas, ranging from sensory discrimination of physical stimuli, such as colors, sounds, etc.,…

Describing the Union 58 Experimental Schools Program (ESP) in northern, rural New Hampshire, this curriculum guide presents the concept of "proximity congruency" as a means for developing secondary level student sensory awareness of the environment in outdoor and/or environmental education procedures. Proximity congruency is defined as a…

Discusses the value of tool-use activities to help toddlers develop emerging skills, experience creative expression, and understand means-end relationships. Provides examples of opportunities for using objects as tools, including language acquisition, self-help activities, dramatic play, sensory experiences, and object manipulation. (DST)

All persons are born and blessed with a creative nature, and are all artists of their own lives. By the time individuals reach adulthood, however, most of them have lost touch with their creativity, believing only "others" are "artists." Awareness of and regular use of the creative aspect of their being makes substantial…

Contemporary society has trained us to prejudicially view and fear the sensual and nature as an enemy, villain, or child that must be developed, improved, or managed. By learning and teaching the Natural Systems Thinking Process, we may reverse destructive thinking by letting nature itself help us bring sensations and their integrity back into our…

Overviews the contents of a three-unit booklet of Gestalt learning activities for elementary schoolchildren. Summarizes a program incorporating these activities, focusing on external and internal awareness and expressing feelings. Describes teacher and counselor roles in the program as well as student outcomes. Includes examples from each unit.…

Describes the outdoor adult education classes conducted by a community college in California designed for parents and their children ages 5 through 8 years. Classes include parenting topics, music, movement, crafts, stories, hiking, and nature awareness, focusing on sensual outdoor experiences for children. Describes what children gain from…

Parents of 401 infants and toddlers completed the 81-item Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile. Findings suggest that 48 items best characterized sensory processing for children 7-36 months, whereas 36 items appeared relevant for children birth-6 months. Reliability analyses were consistent with clusters identified in Dunn's model of sensory processing…

Describes various models of learning styles and speculates on their applicability to distance education practice and research. Topic discussed include field dependence and independence; the Kolb Model; hemisphericity; sensory preferences; the Jungian approach; Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); and psychological factors including age, sex…

Maintains that art educators should base their theories of art, education, and discipline in the fundamental place of wonder in aesthetic experience. Examines Plato's philosophy to help understand some of the characteristics of wonder. Claims that all human experience has an aesthetic dimension and that wonder can motivate any inquiry. (KM)

This article presents strategies teachers can use to develop a pool of potential sensory reinforcers for behavior problems in students with learning disabilities, behavior disorders, mild or moderate mental retardation, or language delays. It also provides a step-by-step method for conducting ongoing reinforcer assessment, and suggests how the…

The concept of savant syndrome, encompassing those individuals historically known as "idiot savants," is reviewed. Case studies demonstrating special abilities in the areas of calendar calculating, musical ability, artistic talent, memorization, mathematical skills, mechanical achievement, and fine sensory discrimination are discussed,…