The Balance-Scale Dilemma: Either the Subject or the Experimenter Muddles Through

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Abstract
We examined two critiques of rule-assessment methodology: (a) the method does not take into consideration other rules that subjects use to solve problems, and (b) its multiple-choice format misrepresents subjects'' cognitive level. In Study 1, high school students completed a paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice balance scale questionnaire. Their performance was assessed with Siegler''s original rules and a revised set of rules that included an addition and a qualitative proportionality rule. Results showed that Siegler''s Rule 3 was not homogeneous and that distinguishing specific patterns of answers among Rule 3 subjects increased the diagnostic value of the rule-assessment methodology. In Study 2, we compared rule-assessment methodology to the Piagetian clinical model. High school students solved balance-scale problems within each method. Results indicated an overall match between Piagetian levels and Siegler''s rules, with the exception of Rule 3, suggesting again the pertinence of specifying alternative rules.