| Abstract: | One possible explanation of the long-term memory improvement for seriated stimuli reported by Piaget and B. Inhelder (1973) is that there is a developmental increase in the tendency to seriate any drawing spontaneously. Results of an earlier study by R. Altemeyer et al (see record 1970-02150-001) do not support this explanation. In the present study, a total of 377 kindergarten, 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-grade children were tested to determine whether other developmental changes in drawings might have obscured an underlying change in the tendency to seriate. Using Altemeyer's procedure, which required children to draw pictures from a relatively vague hint, no developmental change in seriation was found. However, a significant developmental increase in the production of representational drawings did occur. This latter age difference was eliminated by using a more informative hint, and with this modification, a developmental increase in the tendency to seriate was revealed. Results are discussed in relation to previous Piagetian memory research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
