Piagetian Tasks Research Articles

Oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) solve invisible displacement tasks in a test of Piagetian object permanence.

Object permanence, the ability to mentally represent objects even when they are not directly accessible to the senses, is of vital importance for the survival of both human and non-human animals. The Oriental pied hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) is an Asian species of hornbill displaying remarkable adaptability in various environments, yet little is known about their cognitive abilities. Their breeding behaviour is unique, as the female hornbill seals herself inside a cavity before laying eggs and the male feeds her and their offspring without visual contact, strongly suggesting the presence of object permanence to some degree. In this study, six Oriental pied hornbills underwent testing for object permanence, including a series of seven standard Piagetian tasks involving visible and invisible displacements. The subjects consistently demonstrated spontaneous object permanence in all stages leading up to the invisible displacement stage. Half of the subjects achieved full stage 6 double invisible displacement Piagetian object permanence, while the other half reached stage 5 double visible displacement. Breeding behaviour and the duration of developmental stages are proposed as potential factors influencing object permanence ability in this species of hornbill.

Unravelling Student Learning: Exploring Nonlinear Dynamics in Science Education

Abstract Background: Traditional education research often relies on static linear approaches to measure dynamic systems involved in student information processing, overlooking the complexity of learning. Emerging research in related fields acknowledges the highly dynamic and nonlinear nature of cognitive states and information processing. Current educational research methods, predominantly based on quantitative and qualitative "snapshot" examinations, inadequately capture the dynamic and nonlinear aspects of cognitive processing during learning. Objective: This study aims to explore nonlinear dynamics as a means to describe and understand student learning processes. Methods: This study analyzed actions of 158,000 high school students in science-based immersive video games, specifically focusing on task completion within a virtual setting. Students aged 14-18, enrolled in Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics programs, participated. Tasks, resembling Piagetian tasks, centered on volume conservation within a chemistry classroom context, employing the Student Task and Cognition Model (STAC-M) to emphasize computational cognition modeling. Results: The study tracked alterations in cognitive activations during information processing using derivatives, modeled through parameters from the authors' cognitive dataset. Employing the STAC-M model, achaotic attractors depicted convergence and sensitivity to initial conditions, reflecting cognitive associations and stability. Random data lacked the observed dynamic properties found in cognitive data, while bifurcation plots illustrated transitions from stability to chaos in cognitive processing pathways, highlighting the system's intricate nature. Conclusion: Modern science education explores beyond conventional assessments, acknowledging teaching methods' impact on students' cognitive processing. Achaotic attractors depict shifts from stable to unstable mental activities, highlighting the potential for diverse teaching approaches to minimize misconceptions and enable quicker transitions to responsive, stable learning states, aligning with educational objectives. Keyword: Cognition, Nonlinear Dynamics, Student Learning, Science Education.

Are Piagetian scales just intelligence tests?

Abstract Previous research has noted the relationships between Piagetian and Psychometric tests. The literature on this topic has revealed consistent and moderate-to-high magnitude associations and largely unidimensional tests. However, most of this literature has not explicitly assessed whether Psychometric general intelligence corresponds to a similar factor measurable with Piagetian tests. This study did just that by fitting structural equation models to available data from administrations of Piagetian and Psychometric tests given to the same samples. The tests were modeled separately, and then in models where they were featured together so their general factors could be correlated. The results of those analyses were then subjected to a meta-analysis ( K = 8, N = 862) and the meta-analytic relationship between Piagetian and Psychometric general factors was found to be exceptionally high ( r = 0.847). Piagetian scales thus test intelligence, and intelligence tests assess Piagetian development. • Piagetian tasks are supposed to provide estimates of a person's development through stages of cognitive development. • When they are factor-analyzed, they have a general factor as large as the general factor in typical Psychometric tests. • Research has not established whether the general factor from Piagetian tasks is the same as the one from Psychometric tests. • Using a series of joint confirmatory factor analyses, the relationship between their general factors was tested. • Piagetian and Psychometric general factors were too strongly associated to be practically differentiated ( r = 0.847).

Two birds in the hand: Concurrent and switching cognitive flexibility in preschoolers

Cognitive flexibility, the ability to think of something in more than one way, has been studied in preschoolers from two different approaches. Within executive function research, most studies operationalize cognitive flexibility using sequential tasks in which children must think of a specific stimulus first in one way and then in another way (switching cognitive flexibility). In contrast, Piagetian multiplicative classification tasks also require cognitive flexibility by asking children to consider multiple dimensions of a single stimulus at the same time. Piagetian tasks are typically inductive and require abstraction skills. Although research with Piagetian tasks suggests that children are unable to consider multiple dimensions simultaneously until they reach the concrete operational stage, there is some evidence that preschoolers can coordinate two dimensions simultaneously in deductive tasks. In this study, we examined a deductive version of a matrix completion task in which preschoolers (N = 102) were asked to consider two dimensions of a given stimulus simultaneously. We show that 4- and 5-year-olds can succeed on this task and compare children’s performance on the matrix completion task with their performance on a widely used switching cognitive flexibility task, the Dimensional Change Card Sort. We discuss the implications of relating the two aspects of cognitive flexibility development.

Conservation developmental process in early childhood: Impact of intrinsic motivation and practice effects

Conservation is a logical thinking ability to determine whether the quantity of goods is the same even if their shape changes. Children’s acquisition of conservation is measured by a Piagetian task, which is considered a difficult cognitive task for children below the age of 6 years. However, recently, accelerated cognitive development has been found from the viewpoint of epigenetics. Its cognitive development process is not well studied at present. Based on previous studies in pedagogy and psychology, we hypothesize cognitive development will be further enhanced by a practice effect and an intrinsic motivation. Therefore, we conducted a Piagetian task (length, number, and liquid) with young children in a national kindergarten for one year as an exploratory case study. The task was including intrinsic motivation and conducted five times. The results showed that there is a possibility of acquisition with behavioral evidence at around 5–6 years old. Furthermore, this behavioral evidence could show a part of the relation with executive function. The findings contribute to the study of cognitive development in psychology. Moreover, it will contribute to child support and its research in kindergartens and homes. Although the dataset was small, the results are sufficient as a general model of Japan.

Piagetian Tasks and Psychometric Intelligence: Different or Similar Constructs?

Research on cognitive ability is done in different paradigms. In the Piagetian paradigm, cognitive ability focuses on cognitive development along qualitative stages. Interactive real scenarios, "Piagetian tasks", are constructed for measurement. According to age, tasks differing in complexity are applied in individual measurements. In the psychometric paradigm, the investigation of cognitive ability focuses on individual differences. Intelligence is seen as a quantitative construct with gradual differences between persons and ages. Paper-and-pencil tests with items differing in difficulty are used for IQ measurement of single persons or school classes. However, do those tasks measure two distinct cognitive abilities? Solving tasks in both approaches requires basic (speed, working memory) and complex cognitive abilities (reasoning, understanding). Regarding empirical relationships, we used three Austrian samples (in kindergarten four to six years old N = 40, in primary school six to eight years old N = 40, and nine to ten years old N = 41). They were tested with psychometric tests (Raven CPM or SPM) and Piagetian tasks. In addition, mental speed (ZVT) was measured in the two school samples. The average observed correlation between IQ and Piagetian tasks was r = .51. In factor analyses, the tests loaded on a common factor of general intelligence. Further analyses revealed that mental speed is correlated more strongly with psychometric (r = .50) than with Piagetian tasks (r = .39), while Piagetian tasks are more related to parental education indicators (speed: r = .11, Raven: r = .20, Piaget: r = .25).

Chapter 3 - Ethical views and considerations

Jean Piaget's theory is a central reference point in the study of normal development in children. He proposed in the 20th century that distinct stages occur in the development of intellectual abilities from the preoperational period (intuitive stage: 4-7 years old) to the second stage of conceptual intelligence. One of the most famous Piagetian tasks is number conservation. Failures and successes in this task reveal two fundamental stages in children's thinking and judgment, shifting at approximately 7 years of age from visuospatial intuition to logico-mathematical operation (i.e., number conservation). New emerging techniques in the 21st century, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, can support this preeminent theory with an understanding of the cerebral basis of the various stages. Since these new technologies are considered to be invasive in children, such techniques are subject to ethical views and concerns due to pediatric participants. The chapter discusses a brain imaging study on Piaget's conservation-of-number task, showing what can be accomplished through careful ethical considerations in the context of healthy children with normal cognitive development.

Too good to be true? Towards an understanding of the Zone of Proximal development (ZPD) dynamics from a Piagetian perspective: Gender composition and its changing role from early to middle childhood

The present study revisits the complexities of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) through an experimental investigation of the role of social identity dynamics in asymmetric social interaction around a cognitive Piagetian task in two age groups. Children from two age groups (6 and 10 years old) first solved a spatial transformation task individually (pretest) and then worked in same- or mixed-gender pairs with a partner who was more advanced in task knowledge. In the posttest phase, participants again solved the task individually. At posttest, the six-years old participating in interaction, performed better than those in control groups, who did not engage in interaction. However, there were no differences in the posttest performance of the ten-years old who participated in interaction and those who did not. Moreover, the effect of gender composition on the dynamics of the interaction was different in the two age groups. The social gender identity dynamics formed in the interactions of the six-year olds related to cognitive progress outcomes, but at 10 years social construction of knowledge was equally successful in promoting cognitive development compared to asymmetric social interactions and gender identity dynamics did not have the same formative influence.

A computational model of student cognitive processes while solving a critical thinking problem in science

Critical thinking when engaged in science problem solving around even simple tasks such as the Piagetian volume conservation task is a complex endeavor. Tasks such as the conservation task often require the interaction of multiple cognitive systems. Parity judgment, retrieval, and lateral thinking are three examples of such systems interacting with critical thinking during a student’s attempt to solve the Piagetian task. The purpose of this computational ablation study is to establish the role of critical thinking as a necessary component of a system of cognition used for the completion of the Piagetian volume conservation task. This ablation study consists of three phases. The confidence interval between the ablation model and the elementary students do not overlap, indicating they are not statistically significantly different. This provides evidence that the model successfully emulates aspects of human cognition and the model can provide a robust picture of science student cognitive processes.

Parents’ Education Is More Important Than Their Wealth in Shaping Their Children’s Intelligence: Results of 19 Samples in Seven Countries at Different Developmental Levels

In 19 (sub)samples from seven countries (United States, Austria, Germany, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Vietnam, Brazil), we analyzed the impact of parental education compared with wealth on the cognitive ability of children (aged 4–22 years, total N = 15,297). The background of their families ranged from poor indigenous remote villagers to academic families in developed countries, including parents of the gifted. Children’s cognitive ability was measured with mental speed tests, Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFT), the Raven’s, Wiener Entwicklungstest (WET), Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Piagetian tasks, Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Parental wealth was estimated by asking for income, indirectly by self-assessment of relative wealth, and by evaluating assets. The mean direct effect of parental education was greater than wealth. In path analyses, parental education ( βEd) also showed a stronger impact on children’s intelligence than familial economic status ( βIn, total effect averages: βEd= .30–.45, βIn= .09–.12; N = 15,125, k = 18). The effects on mental speed were smaller than for crystallized intelligence, but still larger for parental education than familial economic status ( βEd→MS= .25, βIn→MS= .00, βEd→CI= .36, βIn→CI= .09; N = 394, k = 3). Additional factors affecting children’s cognitive ability are number of books, marital status, educational behavior of parents, and behavior of children. If added, a general background (ethnicity, migration) factor shows strong effects ( βBg= .30–.36). These findings are discussed in terms of environmental versus hidden genetic effects.

Emergence of argument in children’s mathematical writing

Recent educational policy documents have encouraged engaging students in mathematical argumentation via discussion and writing. Most recently in the U.S., the Common Core State Standards recommend that children construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. One often advocated means of engaging students in this mathematical practice is mathematical writing. This requires students to develop mathematical writing that demonstrates careful analysis, a command of sequence, and a level of detail considered fundamental for constructing effective argumentative, persuasive and informative mathematical explanations. However, there is currently little to no research examining how mathematical writing develops in elementary grades. The present study examined K-3 students’ mathematical writing using modified Piagetian tasks. Incorporating elements of Toulmin’s argumentation scheme, a set of classifications for mathematical writing emerged from K-3 student samples. Further, these classifications are sequential, with strong statistical correlations associated with children’s grade levels. The findings indicate a potentially useful set of classification schemes for identifying children’s writing and examining how such writing develops in early grades.

Acquiring Piaget’s Conservation Concept of Numbers, Lengths, and Liquids as Ordinary Play

Piaget’s influential research on the conservation concept has a wide-reaching impact even in modern-day settings. This study examines Piaget’s concept from a perspective that is different from those in existing studies. It focuses on improving the relationship between toddlers and tasks for the acquisition of the conservation concepts of number, length, and liquids. Given that new investigative tasks may be needed to clarify the stage and factors of acquisition, this study examines the possibility of acquisition of the conservation concept by 3-year-olds, with an improved task that is integrated into ordinary conversation and play. The treatment variable was the Piaget task as part of ordinary conversation and play, and the A-B design was adopted because withdrawal is naturally difficult. Results demonstrated the possibility of 3-year-olds’ acquisition of Piaget’s concept by familiarizing the toddler with the task. Such intervention through the incorporation of Piaget tasks into ordinary conversation or play had clear positive effects, contrary to the results of previous studies that dismiss a 3-year-old’s ability to understand the conservation concept.

When There’s More to the Story

When There’s More to the Story

Exploring the Role of Theory of Mind in Moral Judgment: The Case of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This paper adds to the growing research on moral judgment (MJ) by considering whether theory of mind (ToM) might foster children’s autonomous MJ achievement. A group of 30 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was compared in MJ and ToM with 30 typically developing (TD) children. Participants were tested for MJ with a classical Piaget’s task and for ToM with a second order False Belief task. In the moral task, children were told two versions of a story: in one version the protagonist acted according to a moral intention but the action resulted in a harmful consequence; in the other version the protagonist acted according to an immoral intention, but the action resulted in a harmless consequence. Children were asked which of the two protagonists was the “naughtier.” In line with previous studies, the results indicated that, while the majority of TD participants succeeded in the second order False Belief task, only few individuals with ASD showed intact perspective taking abilities. The analysis of the MJ in relation to ToM showed that children with ASD lacking ToM abilities judged guilty the protagonists of the two versions of the story in the moral task because both of them violated a moral rule or because they considered the consequences of the actions, ignoring any psychological information. These results indicate a heteronomous morality in individuals with ASD, based on the respect of learned moral rules and outcomes rather than others’ subjective states.

Impaired Thinking in Patients with Breast Cancer and Depression

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been implicated in cognitive function and in the regulation of mood disorders, like depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive deficits of advanced cancer patients with depression and to assess the influence of various clinical factors on depression and cognition. Methods: Serum BDNF and plasma IL-6 were measured in patients treated for metastatic breast cancer diagnosed with depression according to DSM IV criteria. Cognitive function was assessed by the Piaget tasks and Verbal Learning and Memory Test, as a measure of short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). Results: 29 patients with depression were compared to 27 matched controls without depression in this study. Even though both patient groups were of similar age, patients with clinical depression presented with a reduced Karnofsky performance status 66%. The presence of clinical depression was dependant on higher IL-6 levels (29.3 vs. 7.1 pg/ml; p=0.001) and cancer activity (p=0.002, χ2-test). BDNF had no direct association with depression. However, IL-6 level was an independent predictor of BDNF (b=-0.41, p=0.005). Patients with depression showed impairment of their ability to perform the Piaget tasks and a reduction in STM (4.0 vs. 6.8; p<0.001 and 18.9 vs. 32.3; p=0.003, respectively). Piaget tasks performance and STM were associated with lower BDNF levels (b=0.46, p=0.001 and b=0.23, p=0.043). Conclusions: Unlike IL-6, BDNF showed no association with depression in this population. Patients with low BDNF-levels and depression however, achieved lower scores in STM and Piaget tasks. The inability to perform the Piaget tasks adequately in this situation, demonstrates substantial difficulties in reasoning.

Effectiveness of Educomp Smartclass Program in terms of Conservation Ability of Middle Level School Students of Jabalpur

This research explore the effect of Educomp Smartclass Program in terms of Conservation Ability of Middle Level School Students of Jabalpur. Sample size was 755 of students and Conservation ability measured by Piagetian conservation Tasks to test conservation ability of class VI,VII and VIII CBSE middle school science syllabus. Analysis of the result revealed that the Educomp Smartclass Program has a positive impact on students since curiosity is generated among majority of the students through increased visualization.

Computational Modeling of Teaching and Learning through Application of Evolutionary Algorithms

Within the mind, there are a myriad of ideas that make sense within the bounds of everyday experience, but are not reflective of how the world actually exists; this is particularly true in the domain of science. Classroom learning with teacher explanation are a bridge through which these naive understandings can be brought in line with scientific reality. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the application of a Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) can work in concert with an existing computational-model to effectively model critical-thinking in the science classroom. An evolutionary algorithm is an algorithm that iteratively optimizes machine learning based computational models. The research question is, does the application of an evolutionary algorithm provide a means to optimize the Student Task and Cognition Model (STAC-M) and does the optimized model sufficiently represent and predict teaching and learning outcomes in the science classroom? Within this computational study, the authors outline and simulate the effect of teaching on the ability of a “virtual” student to solve a Piagetian task. Using the Student Task and Cognition Model (STAC-M) a computational model of student cognitive processing in science class developed in 2013, the authors complete a computational experiment which examines the role of cognitive retraining on student learning. Comparison of the STAC-M and the STAC-M with inclusion of the Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm shows greater success in solving the Piagetian science-tasks post cognitive retraining with the Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm. This illustrates the potential uses of cognitive and neuropsychological computational modeling in educational research. The authors also outline the limitations and assumptions of computational modeling.

Increasing Logico-Mathematical Thinking in Low SES Preschoolers

Traditionally, children in low socioeconomic status (SES) inner-city areas in the United States lack experiences that prepare them for academic success, especially in math and science. The purpose of this research was to determine the extent to which a constructivist curriculum emphasizing logical thinking produces higher level thinking in low-SES preschool children. Fifty preschool children participated in the study and were pre- and posttested using Piagetian tasks. Results indicated that 84% of the students in the experimental group progressed at least one level, but only 36% of the control group progressed at least one level. Implications of the study are that implementing higher order thinking activities could result in improved logico-mathematical thinking in low-SES preschoolers.

Desempenho operatório de crianças com queixas de desatenção e hiperatividade em jogos eletrônicos baseados em provas Piagetianas

Realizou-se uma avaliação operatória em contexto virtual de 16 crianças entre sete e 10 anos com queixas de desatenção e hiperatividade por meio dos jogos eletrônicos "Zona Trash 3" e "Protocolos", construídos a partir de provas Piagetianas clássicas. Solicitou-se às pedagogas de uma escola pública que indicassem crianças com indícios de dificuldades de atenção e/ou hiperatividade. Os professores das crianças indicadas responderam à Escala de Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade, e foram incluídas como participantes da pesquisa apenas as crianças que obtiveram os maiores escores na referida escala. Quase a totalidade dos participantes conseguiu chegar ao final dos dois jogos. Observou-se maior dificuldade no jogo "Protocolos", que avalia a lógica combinatória e que, em geral, exige maior paciência e concentração dos participantes. Dessa maneira, os jogos de regras eletrônicos "Protocolos" e "Zona Trash 3" apresentam-se como bons instrumentos para a avaliação das noções operatórias de lógica combinatória e raciocínio espacial em crianças que apresentam indícios de transtorno de déficit de atenção e hiperatividade.

Scaling Theory of Mind Development in Indigenous- and Anglo-Australian Toddlers and Older Children

We examined the growth of a theory of mind (ToM) in Indigenous Australian children who spoke Aboriginal English as their first language. We also pioneered the suitability of a five-step developmental scale of ToM understanding for 2-year-old toddlers from Indigenous- and Anglo-Australian cultural backgrounds. A total of 97 children aged 2 to 5 years took (a) a battery of false belief (FB) tests, (b) a developmental ToM Scale, and (c) a standard language ability test. Results showed that, contrary to earlier findings for Piagetian tasks, the Indigenous Australian children were not delayed in ToM understanding. Instead, at age 2, Indigenous toddlers significantly outperformed their Anglo peers and throughout the preschool years they scored just as highly on FB and all ToM Scale steps as Anglo-Australians their age, notwithstanding their statistically significant delays behind Anglo-Australians in standard English language skill (the language of testing). We also found, for the first time, that the five-step ToM Scale was both suitable for, and sensitive to individual differences in, children as young as age 2. These findings add to a growing body of research highlighting the importance of early family and cultural experiences for the growth of social cognition.