When the dimensions are the adjectives of the same object, does the performance of three-year-olds increase in the dimensional change sorting task?
Abstract
The Dimensional Change Card Sorting (DCCS) task measures the ability to switch from
one rule to another (cognitive flexibility). Three-year-old children typically fail in this
task, which is widely used in the literature. However, when the dimensions of the things
on the cards used in the task are separated, the performance of the three-year-olds
increases. There are two close hypotheses about this phenomenon: re-description and
mental files. The purpose of this study was to test these two hypotheses with different
manipulations on the DCCS task. The three-year-old children participating in the study
(N = 38) were given these four tasks: the original DCCS task and a version using
objects identical to the original one, and two more versions, one using a constant object
instead of card and the other using cards identical to the version using a constant object.
In the versions using the constant object, sorting was done through two properties of
that thing. As a result, there was no significant difference between these tasks. However,
when we divided the group into two from the cut point of 42 months, there were
significant differences between these two groups in favor of older age in the original
DCCS task and the version using identical objects as the original one. But the
differences were still insignificant in the versions using the constant object. Thus, this
study supported the hypothesis of mental files, which predicted that the rule transition
between features of a constant thing would be easier than in the original DCCS task, for
the children of three years old who are younger than 42 months. This is not a direct
consequence of the re-description hypothesis.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
-
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Tolga Yıldız
İSTANBUL ÜNİVERSİTESİ, EDEBİYAT FAKÜLTESİ, PSİKOLOJİ BÖLÜMÜ
Türkiye
Taner Akbaş
This is me
Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi
Türkiye
Publication Date
December 11, 2017
Submission Date
November 7, 2017
Acceptance Date
November 14, 2017
Published in Issue
Year 2017 Volume: 37 Number: 2