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The inferential structure of class‐inclusion tasks
Author(s) -
Richard J. F.,
Leynet M. E.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
british journal of developmental psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.062
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 2044-835X
pISSN - 0261-510X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-835x.1994.tb00629.x
Subject(s) - inference , inclusion (mineral) , class (philosophy) , task (project management) , complement (music) , psychology , computer science , artificial intelligence , social psychology , biochemistry , chemistry , management , complementation , economics , gene , phenotype
The present study investigates which inferences concerning the relations between class/subclasses are responsible for the responses obtained in inclusion tasks. An inclusion task involving the computation of a quantity, instead of the comparison of two quantities, has been used to identify which inferences are produced. Subjects were given both the numerical inclusion task and the classical inclusion tasks, so‐called empirical and logical tasks. The analysis of responses and verbalizations revealed that three major inferences were produced in a hierarchical manner: inference (i) which defines the subclasses as included in the class, inference (ii) which defines the class as the union of the subclasses, and inference (iii) which defines a subclass as the complement of the other subclasses. Inference (i) is not a sufficient condition for an inclusion response in the Piagetian task: when only this inference is produced, either an inclusion response or a no‐inclusion response can be observed. On the other hand, production of inference (ii) is sufficient for an inclusion response in every inclusion task, whether empirical or logical. Inference (iii) is necessary in order to answer every question correctly in the quantification task.