The Hierarchical Structure of Formal Operational Tasks

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Abstract
The hierarchical structure of the formal opera tional period of Piaget's theory of cognitive develop ment was explored through the application of or dering theoretic methods to a set of data that sys tematically tapped the various formal operational schemes. The results suggest that the tasks within some schemes are empirically equivalent. While the response patterns were quite varied, the results do suggest that some common structure may underlie performance on the tasks, thus supporting Piaget's notion of the integrative structure of the period.