809 PIAGET'S COGNITIVE OPERATIONS

This is a computerized version of a now classic experimental task, the "colorless liquids problem", used by Jean Piaget to investigate intellectual development. The program is interactive and uses text and animated graphics to administer the task. It can identify any one of five problem solving strategies the user may employ. The program can be set so that each subject automatically receives a summary description of his performance at the end of a run in either hardcopy or on screen.

The task is helpful for psychology teachers in giving the student direct and immediate experience with one of the classic experiments in the cognitive area. Because the program does present a chemistry problem that challenges the subject's ability to engage in discovery and deduction, it also would be appropriate for introductory chemistry, physics, mathematics, and philosophy courses. This program may also be of interest to clinicians working in the area of cognitive assessment and rehabilitation.