A comparison of four types of cognitive conflict and their effect on cognitive development

Abstract

The study examines the differential influence of four types of conflict—two physical conflicts and two social conflicts—on the improvement of the ability to solve balance problems. A total of 395 subjects, consisting of preschoolers, 3rd, and 5th graders, participated in three sessions: the pre-test, the intervention in which visual, kinesthetic, peer, or child-adult conflicts were presented, and the post-test. In each of the sessions the subjects were required to solve balance problems based on prototype problems employed by Siegler (1976). The ” ndings indicate that the kinesthetic conflict is the most effective in promoting the consideration of the distance dimension at the preschool age and that child-adult conflict is the most effective in promoting the coordination of weight and distance dimensions at school age. In addition, peer conflict was found to be significantly effective but only in 5th grade. In conclusion, the results suggest that the effectiveness of cognitive conflicts depends on both the demands of the task and the developmental stage of the child.