Number of response alternatives and spatial arrangement on a visual discrimination task

Normal children, 30 each from ages 5 and 7 yr., were administered a visual discrimination test through a programmed learning machine. Visual discrimination was defined as a match-to-sample task in which subjects pointed to the geometric form, number, or printed letter of the alphabet that matched the stimulus form. Procedures were designed to eliminate learning variables. Although both age groups performed well, there was a statistically significant difference in the total performance at the two ages. A 3-way analysis of variance showed age, number of response alternatives, and type of stimulus form were significant variables; all interactions were significant. It appeared that the significant variable for the 5-yr.-olds was the type of geometric configuration, while the variable most important for the 7-yr.-olds was the number of response alternatives. Patterns of errors on the most difficult item showed the 5-yr.-olds made errors involving a reversal or rotation of the stimulus figure, while the 7-yr.-olds made errors involving some detail of the stimulus figure.