Students (N=22) enrolled in secondary school biology were evaluated for their abilities to use: combinatorial logic; correlational reasoning; separation and control of variables; exclusion of irrelevant variables; proportional reasoning; and probabilistic reasoning. Each student responded individually to six Piagetian tasks designed to measure…

Described is an approach to assessment of intuitive and analytic modes of thinking in physics. These modes of thinking are associated with Ausubel's theory of learning. High ability in either intuitive or analytic thinking was associated with success in college physics, with high learning efficiency following a pattern expected on the basis of…

Children, aged 4-8 were given 2-term relational problems to test the hypothesis that only older children can process sentences as propositions and realize their logical implications. Results indicated even the youngest children could perform the task. (ST)

The aim was to determine whether logical concepts acquired in one language could be transferred to another language. (Author)

The relationship of particular learning styles and plausible reasoning ability of 110 subjects from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade was examined. Data were compiled on a plausible reasoning test and on a Learning Style Inventory with four subscales: (1) Concrete Experience (CE), (2) Reflective Observation (RO), (3) Abstract Conceptualization (AC), and (4)…

The term "functional communication" refers to the skills and knowledge possessed by an individual, from which that individual's competence or effectiveness may be inferred. Part one of this two-part book identifies and describes conceptual and methodological issues involved in evaluating, or empirically describing, the major components…

Mathematical processes involve both rigorous logical thinking and creativity. The difficulty with the new math seems to lie with its apparent reliance on logic alone. It is important to stress intuition and guessing as well as deduction in order to make mathematics better understood. (SD)

Members of a Teachers Center used research literature to generate ideas for a classroom activity, then did the activity in order to test it. The activity described here involved hypothesizing rules defining sequences of three numbers. (SD)

Based on a master's thesis (Klorman, 1967) submitted to the University of Wisconsin, and supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant 2 T1 MH-5363-18.

The philosophical roots of the concept of lifelong learning are considered in relation to the views of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They pioneered in their analyses of intellectual development and in the importance of the use of the mind throughout the life span. Plato and Aristotle added metaphysical arguments to support their systems of…

This study explores the extent to which scores on four separate complex reasoning solution processes could predict performance on difficult problems. Definitions are provided for the four processes--intra-sentence processing, inter-sentence processing, ordering, and collecting--and previous work done in the field is outlined. The procedures used…

It is hypothesized that certain mental structures are related to certain teaching skills. These structures are identified as combinatorial logic, essential to planning lessons, and hypothetical reasoning, an important aid in analyzing lessons. These formal thinking abilities should result in greater improvement during practice and later teaching.…

This is one of a series that is a collection of translations from the extensive Soviet literature of the past 25 years on research in the psychology of mathematics instruction. It also includes works on methods of teaching mathematics directly influenced by the psychological research. Selected papers and books considered to be of value to the…

The purpose of this study was to design a unit on percent for adult remedial students based on the principles of Piaget's theory and to evaluate the effectiveness of the unit as a means of improving one characteristic of formal operations, the ability to use porportion. The subjects consisted of 89 undergraduate remedial mathematics students at a…