EXPERIMENTAL EXAMINATION OF SOME OF PIAGET'S SCHEMATA CONCERNING CHILDREN'S PERCEPTION AND THINKING, AND A DISCUSSION OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE*

Abstract

S ummary . This paper describes four researches designed to test the substance of some of Piaget's schemata for the mental development of children. The first two investigations are concerned with haptic perception and spatial relationships in drawing, the third is devoted to the child's logical judgments, and the fourth to his moral judgments. Large numbers of children were put in Piaget's situations, the numbers ranging from thirty‐two to sixty. The reliability of the judges' interpretation of the children's responses was measured in three of the inquiries by obtaining two independent sets of judgments and correlating the results. The validity of Piaget's schemata was assessed by comparing the development of the children's thinking and perception with the criteria of chronological age, mental age, and the total score giving each child's overall level of perception and thinking. This was done by adapting Guttman's technique to this problem. Some high reliabilities and validities were found and, in general, Piaget's conclusions were substantiated. A short discussion of the educational implications of Piaget's work concludes the article.

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