Influence of task modality, pacing, and subject's adeptness on strategies of serial reasoning

Abstract

Volunteer university undergraduates were selected on the basis of their performances on a batery of cognitive tests and were divided into those performing relatively better on spatial-figural than verbal tests, and vice versa. These subjects were then presented with both comparative and negative equative three-term series problems either aurally or in written form, and either with or without time delays between premises and question. Linguistic based solution strategies were evidenced only in the non-delayed written condition; imagery based strategies being evidenced in the other three conditions. Subject ability type did not predict selection of strategy, but only relative facility with a strategy. It was concluded that conditions of presentation are functionally more important determinants of solution strategy than is the subject's processing adeptness.