Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 154 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 174-179). Also available via the Internet.

Inaug.-Diss.--Bonn. / At head of title: Aus dem Psychologischen Institut der Universität Bonn ... Lebenslauf. "Literaturnachweis": p. 95-96.

In two parts, each part issued also as a thesis. / "Index bibliographique": [pt. 1], p. [137]-139; [pt. 2], p. [162]-166.

No description available.

Spatial representations are external, physical entities, which are used to symbolise real world environments. These kinds of symbols provide information about the world, and shape the way that we think about it. Previous research into children's understanding and use of spatial representations has led to differing conclusions about how and when such abilities develop. This may be due to the diversity of different tasks and methods which have been adopted in the past. The aim of this thesis was to provide a systematic investigation of some of these tasks and methods, in order to establish whether they assess the same underlying abilities, and whether children perform similarly on all such tasks, using all such methods. A series of studies compared performance on two tasks - positioning and retrieval - and on two methods - inferring from a representation to a referent space, and from a referent space to a representation. Error data and time data were recorded in addition to success and failure. Results show that when target locations are completely concealed, levels of absolute success are similar on the two tasks. However, children take more time on the retrieval task, which may indicate a difference in the way they approach tasks presented in a familiar game format. Results also show that the two methods may not be equivalent. Performance under these two methods differs in younger children particularly. Familiarity with the referent space leads to improved performance when inferring from referent to representation, and to more sophisticated response strategies overalL. The presence of irrelevant material in either space does not affect performance. Results support the notion that some representational understanding can be achieved early in development, so representations of space can begin to be used from three years of age. However, despite this early achievement of representational understanding, deficits in spatial cognition mean that the ability to fully understand and use spatial representations is stil developing at 6 years of age.

Although there is extensive evidence that auditory spatial processing can adapt to changes in auditory spatial cues both in infancy and adulthood, the mechanisms underlying adaptation appear to differ across species. Whereas barn owls compensate for unilateral hearing loss throughout development by learning abnormal mappings between cue values and spatial position, adult mammals seem to adapt by ignoring the acoustical input available to the affected ear and learning to rely more on unaltered spatial cues. To investigate these differences further, ferrets were raised with a unilateral earplug and their ability to localize sounds was assessed. Although these animals did not fully compensate for the effects of an earplug, they performed considerably better than animals that experienced an earplug for the first time, indicating that adaptation had taken place. We subsequently found that juvenile-plugged (JP) ferrets learned to adjust both cue mappings and weights in response to changes in acoustical input, with the nature of these changes reflecting the expected reliability of different cues. Thus, the auditory system may be able to rapidly update the way in which individual cues are processed, as well as the way in which different cues are integrated, thereby enabling spatial cues to be processed in a context- specific way. In attempting to understand the mechanisms that guide plasticity of spatial hearing, previous studies have raised the possibility that changes in auditory spatial processing may be driven by mechanisms intrinsic to the auditory system. To address this possibility directly, we measured the sensitivity of human subjects to ITDs and ILDs following transient misalignment of these cues. We found that this induces a short-term recalibration that acts to compensate for the effects of cue misalignment. These changes occurred in the absence of error feedback, suggesting that mutual recalibration can occur between auditory spatial cues. The nature of these changes, however, was consistent with models of cue integration, suggesting that plasticity and integration may be inextricably linked. Throughout the course of this work, it became clear that future investigations would benefit from the application of closed-field techniques to the ferret. For this reason, we developed and validated methods that enable stimuli to be presented to ferrets over earphones, and used these methods to assess ITD and ILD sensitivity in ferrets using a variety of different stimuli. We found that the Duplex theory is able to account for binaural spatial sensitivity in these animals, and that sensitivity is comparable with that found in humans, thereby confirming the ferret as an excellent model for understanding binaural spatial hearing.

"The present investigation was designed to study the effect of two instructional treatments on the achievement of students of different abilities--Verbal and Spatial. This was achieved by studying the interaction between the two treatments and each of the verbal and the spatial abilities. The instructional treatments were Figural and Verbal programmed units designed to teach concepts related to modulus seven arithmetic. Subjects for the study were 90 students enrolled in the first year mathematics course at Elmansoura College of Education in Egypt for the academic year 1978-1979"--Abstract. / Typescript. / "December, 1979." / "Submitted to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." / Advisor: Eugene D. Nichols, Professor Directing Dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-117).

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This thesis reviews progress toward an understanding of the processes involved in the solution of spatial problems. Previous work employing factor analysis and information processing analysis is reviewed and the emphasis on variations in speed and accuracy as the major contributers to individual differences is noted. It is argued that the strategy used by individuals is a preferable explanatory concept for identifying the cognitive substratum necessary for problem solving. Using the protocols obtained from subjects solving The Minnesota Paper Form Board (Revised), a test commonly regarded as measuring skill in spatial visualization, a number of different strategies are isolated. Assumptions as to the task variants which undergird these strategies are made and tested experimentally. The results suggest that task variants such as the size of the stimulus and the shape of the pieces interact with subject variables to produce the operating strategy. Skill in problem solving is revealed in the ability to structure the array, to hold a structured image and to reduce the number of answers requiring intensive processing. The interaction between task and subject variables results in appropriate or inappropriate strategies which in turn affect speed and accuracy. Results suggest that strategy formation and usage are the keys to explaining individual differences and an heuristic model is presented to explain the performance of individual subjects on the problems involved in the Minnesota Paper Form Board. The model can be used to predict performance on other tests; and as an aid to teaching subjects experiencing difficulties. The model presented incorporates strategy variation and is consequently mores complex than previously suggested models. It is argued that such complexity is necessary to explain the nature of a subject's performance and is also necessary to perform diagnostic evaluation. Certain structural -features of the Minnesota Paper Form Board are questioned and suggestions for improvement included. The essential explanatory function of the strategy in use makes the prevalent group administration approach suspect in the prediction of future performance in spatial or vocational activity.