In a study by Schauble (1990), children played a computer game in which they set up races between different cars

Question

The children's goal was to determine which of five car features (wheels, engine, tailfin, color, and muffler) had a causal relation to speed. Describe a strategy that might be used by a child in the formal operations period to solve this problem. Contrast that strategy with a strategy that might be used by a child in the concrete operations period.

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A child in the formal operations period would generate all possible combinations of features. They would set up races between cars that differed according to specific features of interest, and they would interpret results appropriately. They would collect data systematically, and they would continue to collect data until they checked all possible feature combinations. In contrast, a child in the concrete operations period would not generate all possible combinations of features. They might repeat combinations that they already tried, and they might stop collecting data after only a few races. They might set up a race between two cars that differ in terms of multiple features, and then conclude that all of the features that differ between the two cars influence speed.