Assessment and Analysis Guide of Cognitive Development- Thinking

Symbolic Thought: Ability to manipulate and use symbols in thinking.

Watch for: use of language as a tool for thinking; use of an object to stand for something else (doll is a baby); plays different roles; representational drawings (drawing of a specific thing decided on in advance); use of written symbols as a tool for thinking (will make marks to signify a pattern, writes words); use of graphs to symbolize numbers.

Most children:

• Can use language as a tool for thinking; engage in symbolic play (use object to stand for something else or play different roles). Some children can make representational drawings. (2 yrs.)
• Can engage in representational drawing. Some children can use written symbols (write name, some numbers); make and interpret graphs with help from teacher.
• Can use written symbols; make and interpret graphs. (6 yrs. and older)

Classification: Ability to sort and group objects.

Watch for: ability to sort and re-sort spontaneously; with properties given by teacher; by a single property (size, color, shape); by many properties simultaneously; by similarity (all buttons, all blocks); by all–some (all same object but different color); into a series (big, bigger, biggest).

Children may state attribute; use of same principle to add new objects; create a simple pattern; create a complex, extended pattern.

Most children:

• Are not systematic or consistent in use of attributes to form the group. (2–3 yrs.)
• Can classify based on one attribute; place objects in a series by one attribute; make a simple line pattern (ABABAB).
• Can classify based on two attributes simultaneously (large blue, small blue, large red, small red); classify subgroups once groups are formed; make a complete line pattern (AABBCCAABBCC or ABCCABCCABCC).
• Can classify based on multiple attributes; understand relationship between broader classes and subclasses (objects can belong to several classes at the same time); classify based on two attributes at the same time (2 x 2 matrix). (6–8 yrs.)

Problem Solving: Use of available information, resources, and materials to achieve a goal.

Watch for: scripts (expected sequences of events developed from past); analysis (identify components, features, processes, arguments, events); comparisons; inferences (draw conclusions, make predictions, pose hypotheses, make educated guesses); evaluation of ideas; identification of the problem.

Children may use formulas (math formulas, specific “recipes”); rules of thumb (strategies or estimations that have worked in the past but don’t guarantee a solution); think-aloud strategy (talk problem through aloud); work backwards strategy (start with the end or a possible solution first and work backwards to see if this matches the givens); use trial and error (try one solution and when it fails try another); break problem into a number of smaller problems.

Children of all ages benefit from teacher guidance and help when solutions do not work.

Most children:

• Can use scripts to solve everyday problems; generate hypotheses (may be intuitive, not logical); use analysis; make comparisons; evaluate ideas; identify problems; use formulas, rules of thumb, and trial and error spontaneously. (3–6 yrs.)
• Make inferences based on logical rules; tell if they need more information; make psychological inferences.
• Use formulas, rules of thumb, think-aloud strategies, work backwards strategies; use trial and error; and break large problems into smaller ones. (7–8 yrs.)
• With teacher support children 5 years and older can engage in metacognitive skills such as thinking about the problem-solving process; asking clarifying questions; planning a solution; reflecting on learning, errors, and understandings. Are able to think reflectively about mental processes, showing growing self-regulation of cognitive processes.

Conservation: All conservation tasks involve objects with the same physical attributes (number, mass, weight, length, area, volume) that are rearranged in front of the child to look very different.

Watch for: response to Piagetian tasks or way child plays with quantity or amount; justification for answer; number conservation (the number of objects does not change when objects are arranged differently—one set in a pile and one set in a row); length (the length does not change even though objects are arranged differently); liquid (the amount of liquid does not change even though the liquid is in containers that look different—one tall and thin and the other short and wide); mass (the amount of clay in two balls does not change even though the balls look different—one is a ball and the other rolled into a snake).

Most children:

• Cannot conserve; will state one object or group of objects is ____________ (more, longer, bigger). Current research suggests that preoperational children can conserve number with four or fewer objects, but may not be able to justify or explain their answers. (2–5 yrs.)
• Can conserve number, length, liquid, and mass; typical justifications are: “You didn’t add any or take any away”; “You just moved them and if you moved them back, there would be the same ____________”; “It doesn’t matter how you arrange them”; “They just look different, but they are the same ____________.” (6–8 yrs.)