Nonverbal Assessment of Piagetian Development: An Analysis of Lancy and Goldstein's Procedures

Abstract

Thirty-four kindergarten through second-grade children were administered classification, conservation of number, and seriation tasks. The tasks assessing these areas were administered in counterbalanced order using the nonverbal procedures developed by Lancy and Goldstein and procedures outlined by Piaget. The purpose of the investigation was to ascertain whether the Lancy and Goldstein approach and materials are veridical measures of Piagetian cognitive development. The areas selected for comparison were those that Piaget and his colleagues have thoroughly analyzed and to which strict Piagetian criteria could be applied. The results indicate that the nonverbal tasks do not effectively measure concrete operational thought as described by Piaget. They do, however, provide an approach for analysis of children's problem-solving strategy and hypothesis development that can be useful in studies of cognitive processes.