This study investigates the structure and development of quantitative thought in
Greece and India. A total of 297 Indian subjects and 269 Greek subjects, aged from
10 to 16 years, were examined by a battery addressing their ability to execute
arithmetic operations, a battery addressing their proportional reasoning, and a
battery addressing algebraic reasoning. The items in each battery addressed four
developmental levels. Confirmatory factor analysis showed, as predicted, that the
same model is able to account for the performance of both cultures. Some differences
were observed in the relative strength of the various abilities. However, the
developmental inter-patterning of abilities was generally the same in the two
cultures. There were no differences in capacity-dependent sequences but there were
some differences in strategy-dependent sequences. These findings are discussed in
the context of our theory of cognitive development.
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