Discovery as a Means to Understanding

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether the discovery of a conditional rule from its instances facilitated a test of its truth from partially concealed information, compared with a situation in which the rule was presented directly. In the first experiment the subjects who discovered the rule expressed it in their own words. The results showed that they tested it significantly better than a control group who were presented with the rule, as expressed by the subjects in the experimental group. In the second experiment the subjects in the experimental group were compelled to express the rule in the form of a conditional sentence. The results showed again that they performed significantly better than those in a corresponding control group.