A Microcomputer System as a Tool for Research in Logical Thinking

Abstract

The use of Piagetian tasks to study logical thinking has continued at a high rate despite the fact that their inherent limitations reduce the probability of finding new knowledge. In this study a microcomputer system was programmed with Piagetian tasks in an attempt to gain advantages while avoiding the limitations of the original tasks. College students viewed tasks in the form of alphanumerics and graphics on a TV monitor and interacted with the tasks by way of a keyboard. All key depressions and times between depressions were recorded on floppy disks which were subsequently interfaced with the IBM/370 computer for data manipulation and analysis. After a two-year test and evaluation program, which involved 360 students in three experiments, these investigators found that the microcomputer system contained several advantages over the original Piagetian tasks and provided the researcher with many new alternatives in the study of logical thinking.