M-Space: Is It a Constraint on Reasoning Ability?

Autor/inn/en	Lawson, Anton E.; Wollman, Warren T.
Institution	California Univ., Berkeley. Lawrence Hall of Science.
Titel	M-Space: Is It a Constraint on Reasoning Ability?
Quelle	(1975), (10 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Development; Cognitive Processes; Cognitive Tests; Conservation (Concept); Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Individual Testing; Interviews; Kindergarten Children; Science Education; Young Children + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Denkfähigkeit; Kognitive Entwicklung; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Kognitiver Fähigkeitstest; Konservierung; Early childhood; Education; Frühkindliche Bildung; Frühpädagogik; Elementarunterricht; Persönlichkeitstest; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Frühe Kindheit
Abstract	Eighty-two children (ages 4.4 to 6.5 years) were administered a Backward Digit Span test to measure M-space and four conservation tasks (number, substance, continuous quantity, and weight). Based upon a neo-Piagetian theory of intellectual development proposed by Pascual-Leone (1969), two hypotheses were tested: (1) A significant relation should exist between a child's M-space and his/her ability to conserve; (2) Children should not conserve when the number of "figurative schemes" required to solve the task exceeds their M-space. Significant correlations were found among M-space and number, substance, and continuous quantity tasks. As predicted, none of 11 children with M-spaces of e + 1 demonstrated conservation. Contrary to theoretical predictions, a substantial number of children with M-spaces of e + 2 conserved all four quantities. It is argued that it may be possible to retain the idea of M-space as a constraint on reasoning ability if theoretical statements regarding the number of required figurative schemes are modified. (Author)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC