Fuzzy processing in transitivity development

Abstract

We review the literature on the development of transitive reasoning, and note three historical stages. Stage 1 was dominated by the Piagetian idea that transitive inference is logical reasoning in which relationships between adjacent terms figure as premises. Stage 2 was dominated by the information-processing view that memory for relationships between adjacent terms is determinative in transitivity performance. Stage 3 has produced data that are inconsistent with both the logic and memery positions, leading to a new theory that is designed to account for such findings, fuzzy-trace theory. The basic assumption of fuzzytrace theory is that reasoners rely on global patterns, or gist. We describe the tenets of fuzzytrace theory, and explore its implications for different theoretical conceptions of logical competence, concluding that young children possess transitivity competence. We discuss the connection between transitivity competence (cognition) and intransitive preferences (metacognition).