The effects of selected perceptual-motor experiences on body image boundary and acceleration of conservation.

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of selected perceptual-motor experiences on body image boundary and on acceleration of conservation. The study was undertaken to explore whether or not conservation could be accelerated and body image boundaries could be changed. The investigation was designed to be an extension and elaboration of a previous study. The difference in this study was an addition of another variable body image boundary and a longer training session. It was theorized that certain perceptual-motor experiences plus the use of the words, wide, narrow, long and short would significantly accelerate conservation. It was also indicated that perceptual-motor, might effect body image boundaries and that there might be a relationship between body image boundaries and conservation. Methods: Subjects for the study were eighteen Sam Houston State Kindergarten children aged five who attended the perceptual laboratory two times a week for a twenty week period. The subjects came from different socio-economic levels. The investigation used a pre-test design with the children randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Measures used were: barrier and penetration score measurements of body image boundary and the concept assessment test as a measurement of the attainment of conservation. The tests were given prior to the perceptual laboratory experience and again after twenty weeks of the training session. Findings: The results showed that the body image boundary scores were not significantly changed, that the experimental group had an acceleration of conservation in the Two-Dimensional Space and the Discontinuous Quantity tasks as measured by the McNamar Test of Change. The experimental group had a significant total gain in the conservation assessment test when the Mann-Whitney Test was applied to the data. There was no significant relationship between body image boundary and acceleration of conservation as indicated by the Spearman Rank Correlations. The results suggested the following conclusions: the use of the terms, wide, narrow, long and short with certain movement tasks in a perceptual-motor laboratory can significantly accelerate conservation.