The labels used to describe patterns and relations can influence children's relational reasoning. In this study, 62 preschoolers (M[subscript age] = 4.4 years) solved and described eight pattern abstraction problems (i.e., recreated the relation in a model pattern using novel materials). Some children were exposed to concrete labels (e.g.,…

Reasoning ability is the 'problem solving skills' or 'analytical ability' or 'deductive and inductive reasoning'. Academic achievement is the total score one achieved at school, college, or university from class, laboratory, library, or field work. The objectives of the study were to explore the relationship between reasoning ability and academic…

In an experimental study to explain the effect of structured Building Block Play with LEGO™ bricks on 6-year-old student mathematics achievement and in the areas of logical thinking, divergent thinking, nonverbal reasoning, and mental imagery, students in the experimental group scored significantly higher (p = 0.05) in mathematics achievement and…

The study aims to identify the critical level thinking of students in higher education. It is focused to evaluate the level of critical thinking variables among the students in Nizwa College of Technology and to determine whether these variables are influenced by gender and department. The data for the research is collected from 281 diploma…

Introduction: Scientific and technological areas include tuition based on highly visuo-spatial specialization and problem solving. Spatial skills and problem solving are embedded in a curriculum that promotes understanding of Science and technical subjects. These abilities are related to the development of executive functions (EFs). We aim to…

Three training methods differing in degree of abstraction (demonstration, slide-diagram, and diagram) were used to instruct adolescents (26 control and 21 aphasic) in the completion of two tasks. Results indicated that aphasics have a deficit of abstract thinking which can prove a handicap in training situations. Ten sources are cited. (EJS)

This experiment in reasoning attempted to discover why simple logic tasks cause problems. An initial group investigation preceded the experiment, which tested two hypotheses: that subjects presented with a "four-card" problem make irrational responses, and that successful completion of a programed text will reduce irrational responses.…

This paper argues in favor of using interactional strategies in the study of formal operations reasoning. Interactional designs allow a convergent approach to specifying processes underlying the interaction of variables. In contrast, current methodologies contain two inherent disadvantages: they have limited utility in specifying the processes…

Norenzayan, Smith, Jun Kim, and Nisbett (2002) investigated cultural differences in the use of intuitive versus formal reasoning in 4 experiments. Our comment concerns the 4th experiment where Norenzayan et al. reported that, although there were no cultural differences in accuracy on abstract logical arguments, Koreans made more errors than U.S.…

International students in American legal education may need explicit information about our legal culture and its logic. A contrastive approach to studying law can serve all students by putting cultural and disciplinary differences in relief, revealing roots of our own logic and biases. Such an approach requires law faculty to explore other legal…

Twenty-nine children with learning disabilities (LD) in grades 2 and 4 through 7 were compared with children without LD for their development of proportional structures of thought. Significantly fewer children with LD had constructed second-order logical structures necessary to act on problems using multiplicative and preproportional reasoning.…

A study investigated the reason for the high performance of bilingual children on a syllogistic reasoning task. Thirty-nine Puerto Rican Spanish-English bilingual children in grades 3 through 6 were asked to solve problems in both languages. Response times were recorded, and the subjects were asked to justify their answers to assess to what extent…

This paper describes the rationale behind and the development and utilization of a bibliographic instruction course which incorporates formal abstract reasoning skills. The limitations of the search strategy technique of bibliographic instruction are discussed as well as the fact that many college students have not developed sophisticated…

Compared formal reasoning responses of seventh-and eighth-grade students on three tests of formal reasoning. The three tests differ only in the mode of equipment presentation on identical test items and problems. Tests included three-dimension demonstration (Lawson), two-dimension showing drawings of materials used in three-dimensional test, and…

The results of studies that examined the logical reasoning of secondary students in Jamaica are analyzed. A logical reasoning test was administered to 205 Jamaican students in grades 7, 9, and 11. Also analyzed were data collected using the same instrument on three other groups of Jamaican students in grades 7, 8, 9, and 10. As expected, test…