Orientation to the Spatial Characteristics of the Open Book

Abstract

One of the first code-breaking activities for the beginning reader concerns the arbitrary conventions of how books are presented. The orientation to the spatial characteristics of visible language was observed in 4 five-year-old identical girls through the developmental progression of their hand behavior while reading. Preliminary theoretical explanations are offered in terms of bilateral nervous systems, handedness and reading, and perceptual strategies for visual analysis of stimuli.