Structure, variability, and development

Seven studies ( N = 1559) were conducted in exploration of the relation of age and stimulus structure to several propositions about human cognitive uncertainty ( Munsinger and Kessen, 1964; Munsinger and Kessen, 1966a). Children and adults responded to figures differing in variability (information) and in symmetry (redundancy) by estimating variability, by categorizing the stimulus materials, and by the expression of preference. In general, (1) estimation and categorization are more accurate with increasing age, (2) practice in estimation and categorization is more useful for older children than for younger children, (3) older children and adults estimate low variability figures more accurately than high variability figures, (4) practice in estimation and categorization with asymmetrical figures transfers well to asymmetrical figures but not to symmetrical figures, (5) the relation between accuracy of categorization and variability of stimuli is a U-shaped function while the relation between accuracy of estimation and variability of stimuli is a decreasing linear function, (6) young children are insensitive to symmetrical redundancy of stimuli, and (7) human response to symmetrical redundancy is not a simple function of information reduction.