Logical Thinking in Children Ages Six Through Thirteen

In assessing the difference between the ability to recognize and the ability to test for logical necessity, statistically significant and substantial differences were found favoring the former with Ss at each age level, 6 through 13 inclusive. In recognizing logical necessity, Ss had little difficulty, this ability leveling off high in the 6-8-year-old age range. In testing for logical necessity, however, considerable difficulty obtained, and although there was growth over the 8-year period, there was no evidence of any high leveling off. These data support the authors' previous research with younger children and challenge certain implications made in earlier studies on hypothetico-deductive reasoning in children.