Premium
Effects of cognitive conflict, socio‐cognitive conflict and imitation on children's socio‐legal thinking
Author(s) -
Roy Archie W. N.,
Howe Christine J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2420200305
Subject(s) - psychology , imitation , cognition , test (biology) , developmental psychology , social psychology , interdependence , neuroscience , paleontology , political science , law , biology
The paper reports a study concerned with the effects of cognitive conflict, socio‐cognitive conflict and imitation on children's socio‐legal thinking. Nine‐year‐old children whose socio‐legal thinking was lower level were paired with 9‐ and 11‐year‐old children whose socio‐legal thinking was intermediate between lower and higher level for interaction in same sex dyads on legal transgression items. In total, 54 9‐year‐old children and 18 11‐year olds participated in the study. An experimental board game was used for all dyadic interactions. The four investigative phases included a pre‐test interview, dyadic interaction, one immediate and one delayed post‐test interview. The results indicated no overall superiority of subjects who could engage in socio‐cognitive conflict over subjects who were limited to cognitive conflict alone. In addition, lower and intermediate level subjects in both conflict conditions advanced over both post‐tests compared to a control group, arguing against a straightforward imitation account. Elements of subjects' discourse during conflict were correlated with post‐test advancement. Marked differences emerged between lows and intermediates for socio‐cognitive conflict consonant with the constructivist view that social interactions and cognitive stages are interdependent. A complementary pattern of positive correlations emerged between discourse and cognitive conflict subjects' advancement.