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Attention and Cognitive Development pp 97–118Cite as

Stimulus Dimensions, Problem Solving, and Piaget

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Abstract

There is a tremendous amount of stimulus information in the child’s world. Children develop a number of methods for reducing the complexity of the environment to a more manageable level. One of these methods is to analyze stimuli into dimensions such as color, size, and shape. This process of extracting dimensions will be labeled “dimensionalization.” A definition of dimensionalization will be the focus of the final section of this chapter. In brief, dimensionalization refers to any process that provides the child with information about properties that can be ordered dimensionally. Dimensionalization helps the child both gather information about objects and solve problems that involve objects, such as discrimination learning tasks.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA

    Patricia H. Miller

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  1. Patricia H. Miller
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychological Development Research Division, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

    Gordon A. Hale

  2. Institute for the Study of Exceptional Children, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

    Michael Lewis

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© 1979 Plenum Press, New York

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Miller, P.H. (1979). Stimulus Dimensions, Problem Solving, and Piaget. In: Hale, G.A., Lewis, M. (eds) Attention and Cognitive Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2985-5_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2985-5_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-2987-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-2985-5

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