Peers, Persuasion, and Piaget: Dyadic Interaction between Conservers and Noneonservers

Abstract

MILLER, SCOTT A., and BROWNELL, CELIA A. Peers, Persuasion, and Piaget: Dyadic Interaction between Conservers and Nonconservers. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1975, 46, 992-997. Second-grade children were pretested for conservation of length and weight. 50 pairs were formed for a second session, each pair consisting of 1 conserver and 1 nonconserver. During the second session, the children attempted to resolve their opposed answers on the conservation tasks and on 2 control questions as well. On both length and weight, the conserver's answer prevailed significantly more often than the nonconserver's; there were no differences on the control tasks. Analysis of the interaction revealed several measures on which conservers differed from nonconservers and winners of the argument from losers. The results are discussed in terms of 2 issues: the certainty with which operational concepts are held and the role of peer interaction in cognitive change.