A DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY OF FREE CLASSIFICATION IN CHILDREN.

2 free-classification procedures, 1 similar to that employed by Vygotsky and 1 similar to that employed by Inhelder and Piaget, were compared in children 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 years old. Neither Vygotsky's nor Inhelder and Piaget's results were replicated by the procedure that was meant to correspond to their own. Developmental stages such as those reported by Vygotsky and by Inhelder and Piaget were not obtained in the present study. A χ² yielded a significant relationship between age and type of response; with increasing age there was a decrease in the number of different types of responses given. A significant relationship was also found between procedure and type of response. This relationship was discussed as a possible result of differences in the S's perceived requirements of the 2 tasks because of differences in instructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]