Inducing development experimentally: Comments on a research program.

Abstract

The extremely popular studies, virtually all of which have been devoted to the attempt to experimentall y induce conservation in nonconserving subjects, were discussed with respect to the logic underlying the method and surrounding theoretical and methodological difficulties. The following major difficulties were discussed: (a) ambiguity as to the intent of many of the studies; (b) lack of agreement on methodologica l criteria for inferring change, and ambiguity in actual application of even the most stringent (Genevan) criteria; (c) a related lack of theoretical agreement as to what a conservation judgment reflects; and (d) the difficulty of inducing cognitive restructuring by means of brief interventions. It was argued that whether the intent of conservation training studies has been to elucidate Piaget's view of conservation attainment or to refute it, results have been similarly ambiguous and inconclusive, and, hence, researchers' interest in performing such studies has declined. Several suggestions for modification of the training study research strategy were made. Piaget first reported his discovery of the