Categories of Illustrated Problems for Training Children in Inductive Reasoning
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Categories of Illustrated Problems for Training Children in Inductive Reasoning Melissa Lopez Reyes1
•
Rajiv K. Amarnani1,2
Published online: 18 September 2015 Ó De La Salle University 2015
Abstract Klauer and Phye’s Cognitive Training for Children (Cognitive training for children: a developmental program of inductive reasoning and problem solving. Hogrefe & Hogrefe Publisher, Kirkland, 1994) provides instruction in inductive reasoning through a sequence of 120 illustrations following a prescribed two-way categorization (a) attributes of objects versus relations between objects, and (b) similarities or differences versus both similarities and differences in attributes or relations. While the program’s effectivity has been established, its prescribed categorization of problems has yet to be validated. If training performance is in accordance with the prescribed categorization, then performance patterns should be more similar for problems in the same than in different categories. In the current research, correlations of performance between problem categories were used as similarity measures in multidimensional scaling. The resulting solution yielded the attribute–relation and similarity–difference dimensions thus showing that performance reflects problem complexity. Visual salience, however, may override problem complexity, as suggested by the finding that the matrix arrangement of objects facilitated training in the algorithmically complex similarity-and-difference problems. The use of everyday-life objects as opposed to abstract objects also was shown to facilitate inductive reasoning.
& Melissa Lopez Reyes [email protected] Rajiv K. Amarnani [email protected] 1
Department of Psychology, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 0922, Philippines
2
Present Address: Research School of Management, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Keywords Cognitive training for children Inductive reasoning Visual–perceptual processing
Introduction Inductive reasoning is a dimension of mental ability that involves the extraction of patterns from observations to arrive at a generalization (Sternberg 1986). Although pattern detection presupposes a developed thinking process, children have been known to categorize objects according to less visually apparent dimensions (Gelman and Markman 1986). Children have also been known to employ adult-like reasoning so long as they work with familiar objects (Heit and Hahn 2001). Still, developing inductive reasoning happens over time as a product of maturation and everyday experiences (Kuhn and Franklin 2008). There is evidence, too, of stable improvement in children’s inductive reasoning as a result of training, assistance, and exposure to appropriate materials (Tunteler et al. 2008; Tunteler and Resing 2007). Klauer and Phye’s Cognitive Training for Children Separate from subject-matter learning and not included in standard school curricula is the programmed teaching of inductive reasoning, do
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