Structure and Sequence of Formal and Postformal Thought: General Patterns and Individual Differences.

DEMETRIOU, ANDREAS, and EFKLIDES, ANASTASIA. Structure and Sequence of Formal and Postformal Thought: General Patterns and Individual Differences. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 10621091. According to Demetriou and Efklides's model, formal thought develops at 2 levels, those of strategy and tactics. This model postulates that tactics are structured in distinct capacity spheres— the relational, the experimental, and the correlational-probabilistic—which develop in a number of steps. The present study attempted to test most of these assumptions. For this purpose, 400 subjects, sampled from different age, sex, and SES groups, were examined by a battery of appropriate tasks. These tasks tested strategic, relational, experimental, and also postformal abilities. The application of factor analysis validated the existence of the relational and the experimental sphere. The strategic level was not clearly identified. However, both a late formal capacity and a postformal capacity for conceiving of possibilities and reflecting upon them were revealed. Joint application of discrimination levels analysis, and analysis of covariance, showed the various capacities developed in the steps described by the model. Sex and SES differences were also found. These results showed that the Demetriou and ElkHdes model could be integrated with the recent theories claiming that thought is structured in different inquiring systems, and that it develops postformally as systematic, metasystematic, and epistemic cognition. Flavell's notions of modification, inclusion, and mediation sequences were employed in order to interpret intraand intersphere developmental relations. Individual differences were also discussed.

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