Abstract
The present study assessed the behavioral and the reasoning performances of 507 school and university students on the four logical principles of logical detachment, particular conversion, particular inversion, and particular contraposition. An adapted version of Wason's four-card problem was administered to all students in paper-and-pencil format and in group settings. Students were asked to respond to the logical questions and to justify their answers. Nine logical reasoning categories were identified. The results of behavioral and reasoning performances were compared across grade levels. Results indicated that many students who responded behaviorally correctly to the logical questions, provided incorrect reasoning justifications. The percentages of students who considered a conditional statement as hypothetical increased with age. No sex differences on the behavioral and the reasoning performances were reported.
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Adi, H., Karplus, R. & Lawson, A.E. Conditional logic abilities on the four-card problem: Assessment of behavioral and reasoning performances. Educational Studies in Mathematics 11, 479–496 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00231218
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00231218