Many studies in the framework of information integration theory have b
een dedicated to the judgment of rectangular areas in young sighted in
dividuals. Many integration rules have been proposed (e.g., multiplica
tive, additive, maximum extent, relative centration, length only, widt
h only) and tested, but uncertainties persist concerning the fine inte
gration process. we turned to a population of young children blind fro
m birth, 6 to 8 years of age, and examined in detail their gestural st
rategies when placed in an area evaluation situation. The following pr
udent conclusions appear justified: (a) that the strategy of acquisiti
on and integration of information Was a very markedly dimensional Stra
tegy; (b) that this strategy could be accompanied by attempted tactile
scanning of the two dimensions; and (c) that the integration process
obeyed an additive type rule, with greater weight attributed to the la
rger dimension (relative centration rule).