A learning set approach to multiple classification: Evidence for a theory of cognitive levels

Eighty children aged 3 to 6 years were given learning set training in classification under one of two conditions: a one attribute condition in which the cells of the matrix could be filled by taking account of only one dimension, or a two attribute condition in which the cells of the same matrix had to be filled by considering both dimensions. All age groups learned the one attribute task, but the majority of 3-year-olds failed the two attribute condition and there was a significant interaction between age and experimental condition. The results are discussed in terms of cognitive developmental stage theory, and while it is concluded that unmodified Piagetian theory is inconsistent with the results, they can be accommodated by a reformulated theory