A Cognitive Complexity Metric Applied to Cognitive Development

Autor/inn/en	Andrews, Glenda; Halford, Graeme S.
Titel	A Cognitive Complexity Metric Applied to Cognitive Development
Quelle	In: Cognitive Psychology, 45 (2002) 2, S.153-219 (67 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0010-0285
DOI	10.1016/S0010-0285(02)00002-6
Schlagwörter	Sentences; Age Differences; Hypothesis Testing; Factor Analysis; Cognitive Development; Measurement Techniques; Measures (Individuals); Prediction; Cognitive Processes; Classification; Young Children; Comprehension; Correlation + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sentence analysis; Satzanalyse; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Hypothesenprüfung; Hypothesentest; Faktorenanalyse; Kognitive Entwicklung; Messtechnik; Messdaten; Vorhersage; Cognitive process; Kognitiver Prozess; Classification system; Klassifikation; Klassifikationssystem; Frühe Kindheit; Verstehen; Verständnis; Korrelation
Abstract	Two experiments tested predictions from a theory in which processing load depends on relational complexity (RC), the number of variables related in a single decision. Tasks from six domains (transitivity, hierarchical classification, class inclusion, cardinality, relative-clause sentence comprehension, and hypothesis testing) were administered to children aged 3-8 years. Complexity analyses indicated that the domains entailed ternary relations (three variables). Simpler binary-relation (two variables) items were included for each domain. Thus RC was manipulated with other factors tightly controlled. Results indicated that (i) ternary-relation items were more difficult than comparable binary-relation items, (ii) the RC manipulation was sensitive to age-related changes, (iii) ternary relations were processed at a median age of 5 years, (iv) cross-task correlations were positive, with all tasks loading on a single factor (RC), (v) RC factor scores accounted for 80% (88%) of age-related variance in fluid intelligence (compositionality of sets), (vi) binary- and ternary-relation items formed separate complexity classes, and (vii) the RC approach to defining cognitive complexity is applicable to different content domains. (Author).
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Update	2017/4/10