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REGISTRATION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PHYSICAL SYSTEM: A STUDY OF PRE‐ADOLESCENT CAPABILITIES
Author(s) -
SEYMOUR P. H. K.,
WILKINSON J. E.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
british journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.536
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8295
pISSN - 0007-1269
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1969.tb01197.x
Subject(s) - psychology , task (project management) , cognitive psychology , string (physics) , developmental psychology , maturity (psychological) , cognition , mathematics , management , neuroscience , economics , mathematical physics
Task‐analysis techniques (Gagné, 1962, 1967) were used to generate hypotheses about the order of difficulty of tasks involving a sonometer, a physical system in which the pitch of a note is reciprocally dependent on the length and tension of a vibrating string. Predictions relating task performance to level of mental maturity were formulated on the basis of results reported by Inhelder & Piaget (1958) for similar systems. Administration of the tasks to 42 children aged 6–12 yr. provided general confirmation of the predictions for task difficulty and age‐placement. An analysis of developmental trends across task blocks is reported. It is concluded that behaviour in this situation conforms to the behaviour of concrete operational children in related situations.