[An item response theory analysis of the four-card selection task]

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Reasoning Research

Context:

• The Wason selection task is a foundational tool in human reasoning research.
• Previous studies have explored variations like the indicative, beer, and cassava tasks.

Purpose:

• To analyze the Wason selection task using item response theory (IRT).
• To investigate the structural properties and difficulty parameters of various Wason task formats.

Summary:

• Japanese undergraduates (N=323) completed six Wason task variations.
• Exploratory factor analysis indicated a one-factor structure.
• IRT analysis (two-parameter logistic model) showed comparable discrimination parameters across indicative, beer, and cassava tasks, with difficulty varying by estimated ability.

Impact:

• Provides a psychometric analysis of the Wason selection task using IRT.
• Demonstrates the utility of IRT in understanding individual differences in logical reasoning.
• Suggests a unified cognitive process underlies performance across different Wason task formats.