Effects of Active Handling, Illustrated by Uses for Objects

Kindergarten children gave uses for objects under 2 conditions: look-only, and look-and-handle. Under the latter condition, children gave significantly more nonstandard uses than under the former. Nonstandard uses depend prominently on changes in the composition or spatial position of an object, and these changes come more readily to mind when an object is both seen and handled. The results raise questions about the effects of various modes of contact with stimulus material in any study of thinking, and the role of manipulative activity in development.