25 sixth grade students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds were administered two Piagetian formal operational tasks (bending rods and balance beam) and a test of field independence. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of .92 (p < .001) was found between the two formal operational tasks. Correlations between the formal operational tasks and field independence were .81 and .77 (p < .001) respectively. These values support the hypothesis of a unified stage of formal reasoning and also support the hypothesis that a degree of field independence is required for the development of formal stage reasoning.
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