This paper reports two experiments which examined processes involved in children's ability to solve class inclusion problems of the form, "Are there more A' (subclass) or more A (class)?" In the first experiment a total of 216 children in age groups 5, 7 and 9 years were placed in three conditions which were designed to distinguish…

This study was conducted to determine if fifth-grade students can significantly improve their use of logical analysis through a suitable instructional unit taught under ordinary classroom conditions. Concrete teaching materials were developed to familiarize students with the distinction between the valid inference patters--Modus Ponendo Ponens and…

The purpose of this study was to extend the research of the first-named author into the effect of teachers' use of conditional language on students' growth in logical thinking. Verbal behaviors of nine mathematics teachers and four social studies teachers were coded and correlated with the gain scores of their eighth-grade students on the Cornell…

This paper reports a study in which eighteen structural and linguistic variables were identified, defined and used in an attempt to determine which variables accounted for a significant amount of the observed variance in the difficulty level of items on two different conditional reasoning tests administered to high school and college students. The…

Two separate subject matter areas, which were felt to represent two distinct types of learning situations, were selected for investigation, namely, a kind of logico-mathematical procedure--the transportation technique, and a visual form discrimination task--aircraft recognition. Two separate courses were developed for each subject matter area. One…

An introduction to the theory of algorithms reviews the theoretical issues of teaching algorithms, the logical and psychological problems of devising algorithms of identification, and the selection of efficient algorithms; and then relates all of these to the classroom teaching process. It also descirbes some major research on the effectiveness of…

This paper reviews the literature concerning the development of deductive reasoning, emphasizing the verbal form of the arguments involved in the reasoning. Empirical research is grouped under the heading: assessment studies, critical thinking, instructional studies, and logic and proof. A conceptual framework is developed and a section on errors…

Logical inference tasks were presented to 112 police officers. Two logical forms were employed, converse and contrapositive. Three levels of activation were identified by a Q-Sort and incorporated into the design. A third factor was also considered, four styles of negative. Results of 24 items were analyzed by means of sign tests. Converse tasks…

This yearbook is a collection of 14 articles covering a wide range of topics. The first argues that arithmetic is "a general mode of thinking," not a "tool subject." The need and use of mathematics for the average citizen is the basis for the second chapter, and the following chapter continues in this vein by attempting to show…

Four to five-year-old children were asked questions on length involving single or double comparatives in a transitive inference task. The number of comparatives varied within or across pairs. The pairs of sticks were color-coded. Initial pair-wise discrimination training on four adjacent pairs from a five stick array with only verbal feedback was…

This volume of the Michigan Speech Association secondary curriculum guide--an expanded version of the 1968 edition (ED 026 393)--is devoted solely to the development of debating skills. The guide is intended to assist teachers in planning a course of instruction in debate and to provide techniques for coaching students who participate in an…

A course presenting projects designed to foster invention and develop a sense of logical ordering is given. Performance objectives include: (1) The student will select ideas for development in an orderly manner; (2) The student will convey this message via an expository piece; (3) The student will select appropriate supportive elements to develop…

Together with other publications in this series, this handbook addresses the issue of humanizing education. Specifically, discussion focuses on the role of critical thinking and reasoning in the educational process. Part one outlines reasons, requirements, and methods for teaching critical thinking and reasoning and connects critical thinking with…

The existence of a time lag discovered in the cross-cultural application of Piagetian tests may result from a socio-economic bias in Piaget's theory. Abstract, formal cognition may reflect a particular social structure, embodying the principles of exchange value, reification, and alienation which govern production and exchange in the…

Several activities are described for students at different elementary grade levels. Some involve estimation of quantities, and others include reasoning about permutations and combinations. (SD)