Paired-Comparisons Intransitivity Related to Age of Subjects

Abstract

A stratified random sample of 82 subjects, 4 to 25 years of age, was used to examine relationships between intransitivity of paired-comparison responses and age of subjects. Intransitivity scores of early childhood subjects (4-7 years) were significantly higher than those of the middle childhood group ( p < .05), adolescents ( p < .001), and young adults ( p < .01). Comparisons between other group means were not significant. It was concluded that there is a floor level (6-7 years) below which response intransitivity increases significantly. Above the floor level, intransitivity appears to generalize across age groups. Alternative hypotheses based on a cognitive-developmental theory and a content-specific perspective are given as possible explanations for results.