Using Observation and Action Instruction to Facilitate Conditional Reasoning Performance in Early Adolescents

Abstract

Early adolescent students (mean age=ten years, two months) received two 50-minute periods of instruction designed to increase their conditional syllogistic performance. The instructional method incorporated a logic board utilizing a Venn diagram format, blocks, and cards which illustrated all 16 conditional syllogisms. The study elaborated on an earlier work which had successfully utilized the instructional method. The action group children moved the block themselves into the correct areas of the logic board while the observational group children moved no blocks. Shortterm, longterm, and transfer performances were assessed using written 16-item conditional reasoning tests; performance of instructed children was compared to a group of non-instructed children. Results again confirmed that the basic instructional method is a viable way to positively affect early adolescents' reasoning performance. The differences between the action and observational groups' performance were not siginificant suggesting that moving blocks is not an important aspect of the instructional method. Because research indicates that conditional reasoning is difficult for children to master, these results take on practical significance.