It is apparent from the historical perspective regarding the theories of cognitive development and the cognitive functioning of individuals with visual impairments, that sight plays a major role in the development of certain cognitive processes. However, the affects of visual impairment on cognitive development remain to be at issue. Since sight seems to be highly integral in cognitive development beginning in the early stages of physical development, about the sixth month of life, and then begins to diminish in importance as verbal communication develops around eighteen months, then it should stand to reason that significant visual impairment or blindness occurring prior to this time would adversely impact an individual's cognitive development. Conversely, the occurrence of visual impairment or blindness after this critical period of development would have less of an impact. Cognitive theorists have proposed that visually impaired or blind persons may have developed different cognitive pathways to acquire, process, and accommodate sensory information. As a result, visually impaired or blind (VI/B) persons may "think differently" than sighted individuals. The present study was designed to address these issues as they relate to cognitive and neuropsychological development at various stages of growth and to examine possible differences in neuropsychological functioning dependent on the level of visual functioning a person retains; e.g. both the issues of age at onset and degree of impairment. It was also designed to study the possible interaction effects of degree of impairment with the age of onset. Findings indicated that the only differences in cognitive functioning appear to be related to age of onset and not the level of visual impairment. The findings further suggested that congenitally blind individuals have indeed developed alternate methods of cognitively processing nonverbal, abstract, or complex information, especially information involving a high degree of spatial orientation. Implications of this study may influence the educational methods used to teach congenitally blind individuals in order to reinforce these alternate pathways and facilitate more effective means of negotiating in a sighted environment.

This research focuses on the grief and emotional reactions, especially frustration, of adventitiously visually impaired adults following loss of sight. The traditional grief-following loss theory with the assumption of a time-limited linear grief process, accompanied by diminishing emotions and culminating with acceptance and adjustment has been challenged. Chronic grief assumes a recurrent and continuous grief process, accompanied by increased emotions associated with continual losses related to a chronic loss, such as visual impairment. The question of whether there is a relation between length of time of adventitious visual impairment and the healing affect of time on grief and frustrations has been examined by quantitative and qualitative investigations. The answer to the question of whether time changes and heals everything is not necessarily the case. As always there are more questions than answers, and this research provides further insight into the real world of adventitious visual impairment. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Anxiety levels of partially sighted were compared with totally blind people. Using the Anxiety Scale for the Blind, the primary hypothesis tested was that the partially sighted would manifest more anxiety than would the totally blind. The study was designed to ascertain whether the primary hypothesis would hold within the structure of this study, and to obtain information useful in future anxiety studies of the visually handicapped. A residential center for the blind furnished subjects, facilities, and biographical data. The primary hypothesis lacked statistical significance at the .05 level as did comparisons of anxiety levels by age, sex, economic need, and age at onset. The use of a different instrument may be indicated for future studies.

This research focuses on the grief and emotional reactions, especially frustration, of adventitiously visually impaired adults following loss of sight. The traditional grief-following loss theory with the assumption of a time-limited linear grief process, accompanied by diminishing emotions and culminating with acceptance and adjustment has been challenged. Chronic grief assumes a recurrent and continuous grief process, accompanied by increased emotions associated with continual losses related to a chronic loss, such as visual impairment. The question of whether there is a relation between length of time of adventitious visual impairment and the healing affect of time on grief and frustrations has been examined by quantitative and qualitative investigations. The answer to the question of whether time changes and heals everything is not necessarily the case. As always there are more questions than answers, and this research provides further insight into the real world of adventitious visual impairment. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)