Developmental study of combination operation

The present study was aimed at investigating patterns of development of combination operation. Subjects were eighty 5 to 12-year-old children and ten 15-year-old junior high school students. Given various combination tasks, they were examined from the viewpoint of practice of combination and comprehension of combination operation. From the former viewpoint, they weve asked to make all possible pairs or triplets from four to five kinds of piles. From the latter viewpoint, they were questioned on conservation of total number of combination and symmetrical relation of combination operation. Following points were suggested from the present study. (1). As for practice of combination, the present study confirmed the findings of Inhelder and Piaget (1955). (2) As for comprehension of combination operation, three main stages of its development were distinguished. The first stage consisted of nonconservation of total number of combination, the second, of its conservation and non-symmetrical relation of cornbination operation and the third, of its symmetrical relation. (3) As for the interrelation of practice and comprehension of combination operation, it was suggested that systematic success of its practice preceded developmentally comprehension of symmetrical relation of its operation as regards combination of pairs, but that the latter preceded the former as regards to combination of triplets.