归纳推理多样性效应的发展及其争论

The Development and Debate of Diversity Effect in Inductive Reasoning

归纳推理多样性效应指的是在归纳论断中,前提项目数量越多、越多样,将能构成归纳力度越强的推理。已有研究表明成人的归纳推理明显受到前提项目多样性的影响,而幼儿的相关研究却存在着两种对立的观点:一是认为幼儿不能基于多样性进行推理,二是认为5岁左右的幼儿就能够基于多样性进行推理。出现此争论的原因可能与研究方法方面的差异有关,如实验范式与前提组间差异、实验材料类别与概念范畴、属性特征及呈现方式、推理形式;此外,儿童的知识经验也是一个影响因素。未来研究可以结合相关领域的研究范式;深入挖掘影响儿童表现出多样性效应的因素;将任务设计多样化;将实验任务的计分方式多样化;开展相关的应用研究。

Diversity is one of the factors which affect inductive strength, that is, the more given number or variable of observations are, the stronger the inductive confidence is. The diversity effects among adults have been reported in a number of studies using a variety of methods. However, there has been considerable debate about whether children also prefer diverse samples as the basis for induction. While several initial developmental studies suggested that children do not consider the degree of sample diversity, some recent studies argue that children as young as 5 years old value sample diversity under certain circumstances. In the present review, the debate among these studies was analyzed from several differences of the research methods, such as the experimental paradigms, the difference between premises, experimental materials and the way to present, scope of properties and conceptual category, form of reasoning, and knowledge context. For future studies, paradigms in the research of other field and variety of materials should be widely adapted. Furthermore, the influential factors of diversity effect need to be explored in depth. What＇s more, the diversity of other field should be mentioned, so as to translate basic research findings to clinical applications.