Invariant item ordering of transitive reasoning tasks (original) (raw)

A process model of human transitive inference

2001

If you are told that job A pays more than job B and job B pays more than job C, then you can conclude that job A pays more than job C. This conclusion follows deductively because pays-more-than ()—or, more generally, more-than ()—is a transitive relation. How does the human mind reason about transitive relations such as more-than (), taller-than (), etc.? Transitive relations are logically well-behaved: Given that some relation, R (), is transitive, and given the facts/?(A, B) and R (E, C), we can conclude R (A, C) with certainty.

Constructing a Transitive Reasoning Test for 6- to 13-Year-Old Children

European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2006

A new, computerized transitive reasoning test was constructed using 16 well-structured, theory-based tasks. The test was administered to 615 elementary school children. Within-subjects ANOVA showed that task format and presentation form influenced task difficulty level. Mokken scale analysis supported a unidimensional scale that was reliable. Evidence was collected for an invariant task ordering. The misfit of two pseudotransitivity tasks supported discriminant validity.

Tilburg University Development and individual differences in transitive reasoning

2007

Fuzzy trace theory explains why children do not have to use rules of logic or premise information to infer transitive relationships. Instead, memory of the premises and performance on transitivity tasks is explained by a verbatim ability and a gist ability. Until recently, the processes involved in transitive reasoning and memory of the premises were studied by comparing mean performance in fixed-age groups. In this study, an individual-difference model of fuzzy trace theory for transitive reasoning was formulated and tested on a sample (N = 409) of 4to 13-year-old children. Tasks were used which differed with respect to presentation ordering and position ordering. From this individual-difference model expectations could be derived about the individual performance on memory and transitivity test-pairs. The multilevel latent class model was used to fit the formalized individual-difference fuzzy trace theory to the sample data. The model was shown to fit the data to a large extent. Th...

Comparative jugdments in transitive inferences

An experiment on transitive inference was conducted using three-term comparisons as premises. The stimuli presentation size and the modality were manipulated. The other variables (i.e., first and second premises comparatives, first and second premises terms order, and question type) define the body of three term series problems that were presented. We confirmed that modality and size of presentation of stimuli affect the processing of the premises rather than the inference process itself. The inference process takes primarily place during the second premise processing time as a consequence of the non-imperative application of a heuristics hierarchy that acts within the framework of a mental model where analogical representations play a dominant role.

Comparative Jugments in Transitive Inferences

An experiment on transitive inference was conducted using three-term comparisons as premises. The stimuli presentation size and the modality were manipulated. The other variables (i.e., first and second premises comparatives, first and secand premises terms arder, and question type) define the body of three term series problems that were presented. We confirmed that modality and size of presentation of stimuli affect the processing of the premises rather than the inference process itself. The inference process takes primarily place during the second premise processing time as a consequence of the non-imperative application o¡ a heuristics hierarchy that acts within the framework of a mental model where analogical representations play a dominant rale.