Abstract
A sample of 48 children (4,8–8,7 yr.) was tested for transitivity using the well-known experimental procedures of Braine, Smedslund, and Lindenbaum and Blum, which differ with respect to the assessment technique as well as to the critical transitivity age. Taking the original criteria as a basis, the main findings of each of the studies cited above could on the whole be confirmed. A closer analysis of the data obtained in this investigation showed, however, that the original criteria are quite arbitrary and not comparable among themselves. Therefore, a new scoring principle based on conventional statistical reasoning is proposed. Application of this principle to all three procedures resulted in a convergence of the transitivity age on about 5 yr.
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