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Assessing Relational Complexity in Hierarchical Reasoning: A Dual-Task Approach.

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Title: Assessing Relational Complexity in Hierarchical Reasoning: A Dual-Task Approach.
Language: English
Authors: Foley, Elizabeth J., Berch, Daniel B.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 1999
Document Type: Reports - Research
Speeches/Meeting Papers
Descriptors: Children, Classification, Cognitive Development, Cognitive Processes, Difficulty Level, Inferences, Performance Factors, Reaction Time, Sex Differences, Thinking Skills
Abstract: This study used the "double easy-to-hard" paradigm to examine the hypothesis that the class inclusion (CI) task should be equivalent in relational complexity to the transitive inference (TI) problem. Participating in the study were 64 girls and 50 boys, with a mean age of 8 years, 6 months. Stimuli for easy versions of the tasks were displayed visually. A computer was used for presenting auditory stimuli and for recording reaction times (RT). Children were given the CI and TI tasks approximately one week apart in counterbalanced order. Subjects were first given an easy version of the primary reasoning task, then a dual task (easy version presented jointly with a secondary, probe RT task), followed by a hard aurally-presented version of the primary task. The probe RT task was presented alone in the first session. CI problems consisted of presenting a superordinate class followed by two subclasses differing in number of items. The TI task was comprised of 3-term series problems consisting of two premises followed by a binary choice option. Findings indicated that various predicted relationships within and across tasks were significant for boys, suggesting that the CI and TI task are capacity demanding and that they impose similar processing loads. However, some dissociations between CI and TI tasks suggest that inclusive reasoning may be qualitatively different from that of the TI problem. None of the predicted correlations were significant for girls; their performance suggested the adoption of a strategy that reduced capacity demands of both reasoning tasks. (KB)
Entry Date: 2000
Accession Number: ED436230
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED436230
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PubType: Report
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IllustrationInfo
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Assessing Relational Complexity in Hierarchical Reasoning: A Dual-Task Approach.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Foley%2C+Elizabeth+J%2E%22">Foley, Elizabeth J.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Berch%2C+Daniel+B%2E%22">Berch, Daniel B.</searchLink>
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  Data: N
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  Label: Page Count
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  Data: 15
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  Label: Publication Date
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  Data: 1999
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
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  Data: Reports - Research<br />Speeches/Meeting Papers
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children%22">Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classification%22">Classification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+Development%22">Cognitive Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+Processes%22">Cognitive Processes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Difficulty+Level%22">Difficulty Level</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inferences%22">Inferences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Performance+Factors%22">Performance Factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reaction+Time%22">Reaction Time</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+Differences%22">Sex Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thinking+Skills%22">Thinking Skills</searchLink>
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  Data: This study used the "double easy-to-hard" paradigm to examine the hypothesis that the class inclusion (CI) task should be equivalent in relational complexity to the transitive inference (TI) problem. Participating in the study were 64 girls and 50 boys, with a mean age of 8 years, 6 months. Stimuli for easy versions of the tasks were displayed visually. A computer was used for presenting auditory stimuli and for recording reaction times (RT). Children were given the CI and TI tasks approximately one week apart in counterbalanced order. Subjects were first given an easy version of the primary reasoning task, then a dual task (easy version presented jointly with a secondary, probe RT task), followed by a hard aurally-presented version of the primary task. The probe RT task was presented alone in the first session. CI problems consisted of presenting a superordinate class followed by two subclasses differing in number of items. The TI task was comprised of 3-term series problems consisting of two premises followed by a binary choice option. Findings indicated that various predicted relationships within and across tasks were significant for boys, suggesting that the CI and TI task are capacity demanding and that they impose similar processing loads. However, some dissociations between CI and TI tasks suggest that inclusive reasoning may be qualitatively different from that of the TI problem. None of the predicted correlations were significant for girls; their performance suggested the adoption of a strategy that reduced capacity demands of both reasoning tasks. (KB)
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      – Text: English
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        PageCount: 15
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Classification
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive Processes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Difficulty Level
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Inferences
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      – SubjectFull: Performance Factors
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      – SubjectFull: Reaction Time
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      – SubjectFull: Sex Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Thinking Skills
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      – TitleFull: Assessing Relational Complexity in Hierarchical Reasoning: A Dual-Task Approach.
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            NameFull: Berch, Daniel B.
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              M: 04
              Type: published
              Y: 1999
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