Testing for Competence in Three Ethnic Groups

Abstract

Piaget Matrices and Order of Appearance tasks were administered to 189 children, 5-10 years of age. The children represented three ethnic groups: Anglo, Black, and Mexican-American. Three conditions of testing were employed. Differences between conditions were detected for all age groups with performance in elaborated conditions exceeding performance under standard procedures. An interaction was identified for age × condition for both tasks. A tendency toward an interaction was identified for condition X ethnic group, with performance for Black and Mexican-American children tending to be below that of Anglos in the standard, but not in the fully elaborated condition. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of a differential testing approach to increase the validity of assessment of cognitive capabilities by reducing Type II error.