Effects of mental imagery on operatoire reasoning: auxiliary or structuring effects?

Abstract

The goal of this study is to determine the effect of training in figural
representations of numerical and geometrical transformations. Subjects
were 6 and 7 years old, and the problem used is usually grasped at 10
or 11 years. The general hypothesis is that mental imagery, or figurative
knowledge, structures “operatoire” reasoning and is not merely an auxiliary
process, as Piaget and Inhelder suggested. Results show that children made
important progress during and after the training phase if and when they
formed correct visual images. By contrast, children whose imagery was
poorly elaborated did not progress. As expected, visual imagery seems to
play a necessary and structuring role for the development of “operatoire” reasoning.