Cross-cultural Piagetian Research: An Experimental Perspective

Ashton, Patricia T.

doi:10.17763/haer.45.4.kpq1578t13tk0541

Cited by 51 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Most cross-cultural Piagetian research has been devoted to the study of the development of particular concepts in the concrete operational stage, with very few extensions to the formal operational stage. I shall not attempt here to cover the whole field, since several recent reviews and discussions are available (Ashton 1975;Price-Williams 1981;Dasen and Heron 1981;Saxe 1983), but I will use one set of empirical data as a springboard for discussing a few of the theoretical and methodo-logical problems that this field of study is facing. Although these or similar data have been discussed before (e-g. Dasen 1975aDasen , 1977aDasen , 1981Dasen , 1982a) their significance has been largely ignored, or their interpretation has been repeatedly misconceived; it may be useful to clarify my position once more.…”

Section: Pi'aget's Stage Theory: Some Methodological and Theoretical mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cross‐cultural Study of Intelligence: Piaget and the Baoulé*

Dasen

1984

Int J Psychol

166

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There are two aspects of Piaget's theory that can be at least partly distinguished: (1) The stage theory, or the development of particular concepts through a series of hierarchical stages; (2) The metatheory, or the interactionist model of adaptation (assimilation and accommodation) that explains the mechanisms of cognitive development. Most cross-cultural research has been based on the first of these aspects, using and adapting "Piagetian tasks" in various conceptual areas. Some findings of this line of enquiry, and the methodological problems encountered, are briefly reviewed. It is argued that no specific task, nor a combination of them, can be taken to measure a general cognitive level; the tasks measure the attainment of particular concepts rather than "intelligence". New evidence is presented on the reliability and validity of Piagetian tasks used in a cross-cultural setting.In the second model, intelligence is broadly defined as adaptation to the environment; in this conception it would be reasonable to expect divergent paths of cognitive development in different cultures. In other words, one might need a different Piagetian psychology in each culture, but based on universal deep mechanisms.As a modest contribution to a more "emic" study of intelligence, the concept of intelligence as defined by the Baoult of Ivory Coast, n'glouilt is presented and discussed. Ratings on n'glouil2 and its different components are related to performance on Piagetian tasks in a sample of 8-to 9-year-old rural Baoult children. The thrust of the paper is to point out once more the cultural relativity of any conception of intelligence, be it from a Piagetian or any other perspective.Recent volumes devoted to the study of intelligence (Resnick 1976; Sternberg 1982) are showing many new trends in theorizing about intellectual competence, yet no convincing paradigm has come to contradict the basic position of cultural relativism taken by cross-cultural psychologists over the last three decades (cf. for example Biesheu-

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Section: Pi'aget's Stage Theory: Some Methodological and Theoretical mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cross‐cultural Study of Intelligence: Piaget and the Baoulé*

Dasen

1984

Int J Psychol

166

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“…3;Dasen, 1972;Dasen (ed.) 1977;Jahoda, 1980;Levine, 1970;Lloyd, 1972;Carlson, 1976;Greenfield, 1976;Dasen, 1980;Warren, 1980;Ashton, 1975;Glick, 1975). Por esta razón el resumen que presentamos en esta ocasión ha de ser necesariamente apretado, aunque trataremos de recoger los diferentes tipos de estudios que se han realizado, sus conclusiones más importantes y, por último, las críti-cas que ha recibido la psicología transcultural piagetiana en su conjunto 2.…”

Section: Las Investigaciones Piagetianas Y El Enfoque Etnograficounclassified

El desarrollo de los procesos cognitivos: Investigaciones transculturales

Carretero

1982

Estudios de Psicología

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INTRODUCCIONEn los últimos diez arios han aumentado considerablemente las investigaciones psicológicas en culturas diferentes a la occidental. Puede decirse que este tipo de trabajos, que fueron no hace mucho de casi exclusivo interés de los antropó-logos, ha adquirido una gran importancia y bajo el nombre de cross-cultural psychology se han consolidado como un enfoque decisivo para la psicología actual. Creo que así lo muestran las numerosas publicaciones que están apareciendo sobre este tema, de las cuales el Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (6 vols.) es la más ambiciosa. Y tanto en esta obra como en otras recientes (Lloyd, 1972;Warren, 1977 Warren, y 1980Serpell, 1976;Cole y Scribner, 1974;Munroe y Munroe, 1975) puede verse que una buena parte de los estudios transculturales tienen una clara dimensión evolutiva.No parece exagerada la frase de Warren cuando dice que «la psicología transcultural no tiene historia real pero sí posee un pasado bastante largo» (Warren, 1977, p. XIII). Ese pasado ha sido analizado por Berry y Dasen (1974) y más extensamente por Klineberg (1980) y en él encontramos, como era de esperar, a hombres como Rivers que a finales del siglo pasado dirigió la famosa investigación en el Estrecho de Torres sobre la percepción y la memoria de los nativos de aquel lugar, y a otros cuyas obras se suelen considerar clásicas en la antropología -Levy-Bruhl, F. Boas, M. Meady en la psicología -W. Wundt, Bartlett. Hoy día, las aportaciones de la obra de todos estos pioneros de la psicología transcultural se consideran un tanto obsoletas y muy criticables, sobre todo desde el punto de vista metodológico. Solían partir de posiciones más bien etnocéntri-cas y sus conclusiones sobre la conducta o el pensamiento de los sujetos de otras culturas solían ir mucho más allá de los datos que habían obtenido. Sin embargo, sus trabajos siguen teniendo un gran valor ya que en ellos se encuentran entre otras cosas dos de las preguntas básicas que siguen orientando la investigación actual. A saber:Estudios de Psicología n.. 9 -1982

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“…With respect to the role of maturation and the universality of cognitive structure, it is claimed that cross-cultural studies have confirmed the consistent order of acquisition of various Piagetian concepts (Inhelder et al, 1974, p. 246). However, in a review of cross-cultural Piagetian research, Ashton (1975) is not nearly so confident. It seems that whilst sequential development has been confirmed in Western studies, contradictory evidence is available from Thai, Arab, Indian, Somali and Australian Aborigine children.…”

Section: The Nature Of Developmental Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piagetian Psychology and Education: Time for Revision

Brown

Desforges

1977

Brit J of Edu Psychol

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The relationships between Piaget's theory and education are discussed. The accumulated data from studies based upon the theory are examined in terms of (i) shared assumptions which govern the interpretation of replication studies, (ii) the extent to which a stage can be meaningfully defined, and (iii) the nature of the developmental process proposed by the theory.It is concluded that Piaget's search for generalities in cognitive development has been unsuccessful, and that an approach based upon a skill-integration model might be more profitable.

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Cross-cultural Piagetian Research: An Experimental Perspective

Cited by 51 publications

References 49 publications

The Cross‐cultural Study of Intelligence: Piaget and the Baoulé*

The Cross‐cultural Study of Intelligence: Piaget and the Baoulé*

El desarrollo de los procesos cognitivos: Investigaciones transculturales

Piagetian Psychology and Education: Time for Revision

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