Psychopedagogical Diagnosis

Organized by Janaina Luna – Psychopedagogue, English and Portuguese Teacher, Text Translator and Editor.

Classification Tests

Test of criterion change - Dichotomy

A) Description of material

40 geometric figures
5 small blue circles
5 small green circles
5 large blue circles
5 large green circles
5 small blue squares
5 small green squares
5 large blue squares
5 large green squares
1 box with internal dividers

B) Execution

The evaluator places the cards in disarray on the table and asks the child to describe them. 'Tell me the
what you are seeing.

Spontaneous classification - possible instruction: "You can gather all those cards into groups that
can stay together," "put next to those that look very similar." When the child finishes,
One wonders why it was classified that way. For example: "why did you place it this way?" (note
the answer).

Dichotomy: present the lid with the division and propose: "now, could you make only two piles?
(groups) and put them in these two spaces?" When the child finishes: "because you put all these
"together? And those? How shall we call these hills? And those?" (note).

First change of criteria: "Could you put it now in another way on two hills?" If the
child return to the first criterion, saying: "but you have already done this, you can find another way to
put together what can fit together in two piles? If necessary, the evaluator starts the
classification and asks the child to continue.

Second change of criteria: "Could you now put it another way on two hills?" "Can do
"dispose of it differently again?" Sometimes it is convenient to ask the child to recapitulate the others.
ratings: 'as you put it the first time, and then?'

C) Evaluation

Level 1 response – figurative collection:

It corresponds to global intuitive thinking (4/5 years). A child at this level can only group.
the cards taking into account not their totality but rather the qualitative similarities (shape,
size, color, etc.) of one element with another (proximity relationship). It means, you know
to recognize the equality or difference between two records, but cannot take the relationship into account
 simultaneous of each form with the others. This limitation does not allow it to reach the classification of
all according to a criterion.
For example: color, that is, having a pre-established plan for classification. It is
expected that the child's intent to sort the tokens will frequently change criteria and
she may not use all the given elements. We found two common types of queries.

Alignment: we call it that because of its linear arrangement. The child aligns some cards they have.
There is a change in the criteria and it usually does not exhaust the material.

Complex Figures:

Here the child tries to group some cards into a special set, taking into account not
both in relation to one card with the other (emphasis on similarity, typical of alignment) and yes
who places each element in relation to others (accentuation of the relationship of pertinence).
Taken as parts of an organized set or with meaning, from the point of view of their form
total. The total set can refer to a mere geographic form (example: symmetry) or have a
empirical meaning (for example: "a little house, a baby") that the child usually expresses
verbally.

Of course, the classificatory behaviors at this level do not consist of true classifications (there is no
coordination between the understanding and the extension specific to a class) hence the name of collections. The
Qualitative figural refers to the special ways in which the card is arranged.

Level 2 response

Collections are figures: it corresponds to a level of articulated intuitive thinking. The child of this
level can group the files into small collections based on a unique classification criterion
(shape, size, or color). It means, shape small mounds founded on a single resemblance, but
these collections juxtapose without any relation to each other: "it is the mountain of big blue squares,
two small blue circles, two large green circles, etc.; but for the child, they are not included.
or engaged in a more general class (geometric figures in this case). In more theoretical terms,
we would say that the child is capable of starting to coordinate extension with understanding but is still not
it is possible to understand inclusion and therefore, its classification is still a collection. The
more advanced children at this level reach a beginning of regrouping the sub-collections in
general classes; for example: they group the green cards and on the other hand the blue ones, but they are not yet capable
to formulate a forecast or anticipation of criteria. They often require that the experimenter
start the classification in order to continue it. One possible behavior is for the child to choose (in the classification
spontaneous) by several simultaneous criteria, but it still cannot be considered a class, as this
surges, as it is known, from a logical operation that, as such, organizes the entire possible universe (in this
case all the chips) determining an inclusive hierarchy.

Level 3 response

Dichotomy follows three criteria: the behaviors at this level are typical of a thought
operational. The child can already perform hierarchical classifications, which allows for predicting, executing and
correctly recapitulate the three successive dichotomies, following the three different criteria: shape, size
And color. At the beginning of this level, the child can discover the third dichotomy; a simple introduction is enough.
of the evaluator so that it captures the remaining classification criterion.
Class Intersection Test

A) Description of the material

3 classes of tokens
5 yellow circles
5 blue circles
5 blue squares
1 cardboard board, where two circles are drawn, one black and one green, that intersect.
delimiting three parts, one of which is common to both circles.

B) Execution

The evaluator places the tokens inside the overlapping circles, the yellow tokens and the squares
blues on the side and the blue round tokens in the common part. The child is asked to name the tokens.
and its characteristics and asks itself:

1. Why do you think we put these blue round tokens in the middle?

Next, the evaluator asks the questions below:

Are there more yellow cards or more blue cards here, or are there equal numbers?

3. Are there more square tiles or more round tiles here, or are there an equal number?

4. Do you think you have more, fewer, or the same amount of square tokens or blue tokens? How do you
Do you know? Can you show me? (inclusion question; the squares are included in the blues; therefore, the blues
are in greater quantity than the square ones). The evaluator must record the children's answers on the forms.

5. Do you think you have more, less, or the same amount of round or blue tokens? How do you know? You can
Can you show me? (intersection question; the intersection chips are included in both the blue and the
round; therefore, it has the same amount.

Supplementary questions:

If the child does not answer the main questions correctly, the evaluator formulates supplementary questions, which
What is in the black circle?
Show me. And the green circle?

D) Evaluation

Response of level 1 - Global intuitive.

The child is able to accurately ascertain the questions that relate to the unassociated classes.
(2 and 3). But they still cannot understand the questions regarding inclusion and intersection nor do they have
success in the supplementary questions because it does not take into account the content of the intersection.
Exemplo: O que há no círculo verde? R: redondas azuis. O que há no círculo preto? R: quadrados azuis.

Level 2 Responses – Articulated Intuitive.

From this level, successes are observed in the supplementary questions (the child realizes that
Inside one circle are all the round tokens and inside the other circle are all the blue tokens.
Regarding questions 4 and 5, that is, on inclusion and intersection, the child has doubts and may respond.
correctly or not to either of the two questions.
Response of level 3–concrete operational.

The child at this level of thinking has a precise accuracy from the very first moment, to all the
unrelated classes (2 and 3), inclusion (4), and intersection (5).

Classification Test for Class Inclusion

A) Description of the Material

1 bouquet with 10 daisies and 3 red roses.

B) Execution

The evaluator ensures that the child names the flowers and makes sure they know the generic term.
flowers: "Are daisies flowers?" "Are roses flowers?" "Do you know other flowers? Which ones?"

The evaluator will ask the following questions and note the child's answers.

1. Are there more daisies or more roses in this branch? After the child's answer, one asks: 'how do you'
Do you know?”. If the child answers “roses” (or of roses), they are asked to repeat the question that was formulated,
and in case of error, the evaluated person repeats the question.

There are two children who want to make bouquets. One makes a bouquet with daisies and gives me the bouquet; a
Another makes a branch with flowers. Which branch is bigger?

3.a. If I give you the daisies? What is left on my branch?

4. I will make a bouquet with all the daisies, and you will make a bouquet with all the flowers. Who will have
the larger branch? How do you know?

C) Evaluation

Response of level 1 - absence of inclusion qualification, 5/6 years.

The child shows an inability to compare the number of elements in one subclass with that of another.
more general class in which it is included. It systematically compares the two subclasses and
respond, then, that there are more daisies than flowers. When asking the question: 'more daisies than
what?”. They generally respond: “more daisies than roses?”. At this level, the questions that arise
about the subtraction of subclasses sometimes leads to failures (question 3.a and 3.b).

Response of level 2 – intermediate behaviors

There are few intermediate behaviors observed. They are noted by the child in the question: the more
daisies or more flowers? The child sometimes responds: 'It's the same', justifying this answer with the
argument: "the daisies are also flowers!" At this level, the evaluator clearly verifies questions 3.a and
3.b.

Response of level 3 – solution of quantitative inclusion, starting from 7/8 years.

All questions receive correct answers, although sometimes doubts are observed and
strangeness in the first statement of question 1.