Development of concrete operational thought and information coding in schooled and unschooled children

Abstract

In this study, we examine the influence of schooling and age on the development of concrete and operational thought and information processing as measured by non‐Piagetian tasks. One hundred schooled and 100 non‐schooled children in the age brackets of 6–8 and 10–12, and 50 4–6‐year‐old preschool children from a relatively homogeneous socio‐demographic background in a rural part of India were given four tests for information‐coding processes. Half of the subjects in each group were also given four Piagetian concrete operational tasks. As predicted, performance on Piagetian tasks increased as a function of age only, whereas the effects of schooling, age, and their interaction were clearly observed for coding processes. It is concluded that information‐processing modes rather than concrete operational skills are more sensitive to cognitive consequences of schooling.