Construct-related validity of the Toglia Category Assessment and the Deductive Reasoning test with children who are...

Both classification and deductive reasoning are essential cognitive components underlying any learning process and, therefore, are important to assess in children with developmental or learning disabilities. The aim of this study was to establish construct-related validity of the Toglia Category Assessment (TCA) and the Deductive Reasoning test, which were originally developed to evaluate adults with brain injury. This study represents the first step in validating and adapting the two tests for children who are typically developing.

The study population consisted of 235 children without disabilities in 6 different age groups (from 5-11 years of age). Both the TCA and the Deductive Reasoning test were administered to all participants.

The results of the study indicate significant differences in the average performance of children in several age groups on both the TCA and the Deductive Reasoning test, but they do not show differences among all the groups. Children could not predict their ability in either test, but most were able to estimate their ability after actual performance of the TCA. A significant correlation was found only for the 5-year-olds and 7-year-olds between the Deductive Reasoning test final score and the children's estimation of their performance.

The findings of this study support the suitability of the TCA and the Deductive Reasoning test for use with children who are typically developing. We recommend that both tools be studied further to amplify their validity.