The purpose of the present study is to investigate the spatial strategies of adults and the difficulties they experience while solving spatial visualization problems. To achieve this purpose, a case study is conducted and the case of this study is the group of five adults studying secondary or elementary mathematics education in a public university in Ankara. Spatial Ability Test (SAT) and task based interviews are utilized to determine the participants&rsquo / spatial abilities / and to interpret their strategies, and their difficulties in solving spatial visualization problems. The present study reveals that, the participants&rsquo / spatial strategies are mainly categorized as: holistic, analytic and intermediate strategies. Moreover, substrategies are defined / for holistic strategies / mental rotation and mental manipulation strategies / for analytic strategies, key feature and counting strategies / and for intermediate strategies, partial rotation, partial manipulation and pattern-based strategies. Additionally, for each sub-strategy different ways of using that strategy are defined. As an example when using mental manipulation strategy, participants use two different ways / imagining the folding and imagining the sequence. It is also concluded that when the strategies are selected, characteristics of the problems are important. This study shows that the difficulties of the participants in solving spatial visualization problems can be mainly categorized as: limited flexibility and inadequate proficiency. The results of this study provides detailed descriptions of strategies and difficulties of adults in solving spatial visualization problems to be used in designing tools for assessment or development of spatial visualization ability.

xiii, 103 p. : ill. (some col.) / This research investigates the relationship between map use tasks, spatial abilities and training-based effects in persons who are blind or visually impaired. A mixed-method approach using theories and methods in behavioral geography, tactile cartography and functional magnetic resonance imaging have produced finds that identify both behaviorally-based as well as biologically-based impacts resulting from systematic tactile map use and spatial thinking training. The neurological results indicate that prior to training a dominant egocentric/route strategy is used to answer all experimental map tasks, while after training an allocentric/survey strategy is used. The current study demonstrates that the adoption of an allocentric perspective is coupled with improved behavioral performance. The findings provide supporting evidence that people who are blind are capable of learning and applying sophisticated spatial strategies. The systematic progression from egocentric/route processing to allocentric/survey processing in the participant population follows traditional developmental models of spatial knowledge. / Committee in charge: Amy Lobben, Chairperson; Andrew Marcus, Member; Patrick Bartlein, Member; Michal Young, Outside Member

This thesis proposes "compact living" as a sustainable lifestyle, enabling dwellers to fulfil theirliving requirements while considering ecological concerns. The idea of this project is derivedfrom a phenomenon that urban immigrants move to smaller houses because of the shortage ofaffordable rental house in dense Chinese urban areas, which causes an issue regarding lack ofwell-functioning small housings for urban tenants. In order to develop suitable compact livingsolutions, this scenario-based design project has developed. The compact living requirementsof Chinese urban tenants were studied through design research. Meanwhile, the studies ofexisting small-space solutions aim to come up with solutions by concluding strategies for thespatial-plan. As a result, the designer came up with a concept of "shared co-living community" second-landlord business model with three feasible interior design proposals.Keywords:interior design; sustainable lifestyle; compact living; small space;scenario-based

Orientador: Eliseu Savério Sposito / Banca: Beatriz Ribeiro Soares / Banca: Ângela Maria Endlich / Resumo: Esta dissertação baseia-se em um recorte espacial centrado nas cidades pequenas da Décima Região Administrativa de Presidente Prudente-SP e tem como foco de contribuição a análise da dimensão territorial geográfica da indústria, no contexto econômico do interior paulista. O espaço produzido é acrescido por fatores econômicos na contemporaneidade, e compreender o arranjo de articulações arquitetadas em torno da questão industrial de determinada região é condição sine qua non para a reflexão das transformações que incidem direta ou indiretamente no mundo do trabalho, das finanças, do meio-técnico-científico-informacional, entre outros. Diante desses processos, o debate está ligado à necessidade de ampliar, na Geografia, a discussão das cidades pequenas e, aqui, especialmente, atentar-se-á para a dimensão desses centros no âmbito da "arena" capitalista do interior paulista, com ênfase na análise dos principais segmentos da indústria. Com esse intuito, entende-se que o estudo de determinadas particularidades geográficas também deve constar neste exame de maneira mais aprofundada e por esse motivo, elegeu-se a região administrativa de Presidente Prudente. Nesse sentido, espera-se que esta pesquisa possa contribuir do ponto de vista qualitativo, para a análise do mapa da indústria no início do século XXI, tendo como referência a reflexão das cidades pequenas em relação à questão industrial / Abstract: This dissertation is based in small cities located in the Tenth Administrative Area of Presidente Prudente-SP, and it focuses on the geographical territorial dimension analysis of industry within economical context in São Paulo state. The produced space gets additional economical factors. Understanding the arrangement of articulations built around industrial issues of certain region is sine qua non condition for reflecting on the transformations that directly or indirectly happen in the world of job, finances, and milieu techno-scientificinformational, among others. Facing these processes, the debate is linked to the need of widening, in Geography, the discussion about small cities and, mainly, it will be intended to look at the dimension of these centers in the context of the capitalist scene of São Paulo estate. Emphasis will be given to the analysis of the main industrial segments. It is understood that the study of certain geographical particularities should also appear in this exam in a deeper way. And because of this the region of Presidente Prudente was chosen. It is expected that this research could contribute, from the qualitative point of view, to the analysis of the industrial map in the beginning of the twenty first century, taking the reflection about small cities in relation to industrial issues as a reference / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-01-27Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:26:35Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_pfj_me_prud.pdf: 3031688 bytes, checksum: 2205a3a074ba16ed6c2180dc8855a6c1 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Esta dissertação baseia-se em um recorte espacial centrado nas cidades pequenas da Décima Região Administrativa de Presidente Prudente-SP e tem como foco de contribuição a análise da dimensão territorial geográfica da indústria, no contexto econômico do interior paulista. O espaço produzido é acrescido por fatores econômicos na contemporaneidade, e compreender o arranjo de articulações arquitetadas em torno da questão industrial de determinada região é condição sine qua non para a reflexão das transformações que incidem direta ou indiretamente no mundo do trabalho, das finanças, do meio-técnico-científico-informacional, entre outros. Diante desses processos, o debate está ligado à necessidade de ampliar, na Geografia, a discussão das cidades pequenas e, aqui, especialmente, atentar-se-á para a dimensão desses centros no âmbito da “arena” capitalista do interior paulista, com ênfase na análise dos principais segmentos da indústria. Com esse intuito, entende-se que o estudo de determinadas particularidades geográficas também deve constar neste exame de maneira mais aprofundada e por esse motivo, elegeu-se a região administrativa de Presidente Prudente. Nesse sentido, espera-se que esta pesquisa possa contribuir do ponto de vista qualitativo, para a análise do mapa da indústria no início do século XXI, tendo como referência a reflexão das cidades pequenas em relação à questão industrial / This dissertation is based in small cities located in the Tenth Administrative Area of Presidente Prudente-SP, and it focuses on the geographical territorial dimension analysis of industry within economical context in São Paulo state. The produced space gets additional economical factors. Understanding the arrangement of articulations built around industrial issues of certain region is sine qua non condition for reflecting on the transformations that directly or indirectly happen in the world of job, finances, and milieu techno-scientificinformational, among others. Facing these processes, the debate is linked to the need of widening, in Geography, the discussion about small cities and, mainly, it will be intended to look at the dimension of these centers in the context of the capitalist scene of São Paulo estate. Emphasis will be given to the analysis of the main industrial segments. It is understood that the study of certain geographical particularities should also appear in this exam in a deeper way. And because of this the region of Presidente Prudente was chosen. It is expected that this research could contribute, from the qualitative point of view, to the analysis of the industrial map in the beginning of the twenty first century, taking the reflection about small cities in relation to industrial issues as a reference