A Comparison of Reversal and Extra Dimensional Shifts in IGBO (Nigerian) Children

Abstract

Seventy-two Nigerian (Igbo) children learned reversal (R) or extradimensional (ED) shifts under one of the two conditions of locality (Urban or Rural) and one of three conditions of Age (4, or 7, or 10 years). Results showed three significant main effects of shift ( p < 0.001); Age ( p < 0.05), and locality ( p < 0.025). Shift by age interaction was also significant. Reversal shift was more difficult for the younger subjects but performance improved as age increased. The ED-shift did not follow a developmental trend: the 7-year-olds found it more difficult than either the 4-yearor the 10-year-olds. Urban subjects learned both shifts faster than their rural counter-parts, and the 7-year-olds from both localities experienced greater difficulty with the ED-shifts problem than either the 4-year-olds or 10-year-olds. The result were interpreted as consistent with the Kendlers' (1962) mediational theory.