Piaget, Werner,Piaget, Werner, and the and the

Mountain ExperimentMountain Experiment

Presented By Katie Apodaca,Presented By Katie Apodaca,

Daniel DePauw, and Nina Di PietroDaniel DePauw, and Nina Di Pietro

Summary OverviewSummary Overview•TheoristsTheorists•Original Experiment Original Experiment •Our ExperimentOur Experiment•HypothesesHypotheses•Experiment ProceduresExperiment Procedures•VocabularyVocabulary•Experiment InteractionExperiment Interaction•Results and AnalysisResults and Analysis•ConclusionConclusion•CritiqueCritique•QuestionsQuestions•Nature Vs. NurtureNature Vs. Nurture

Heinz Werner: A Short BiographyHeinz Werner: A Short BiographyBorn: 1890 in Vienna, Austria; Died: 1964Born: 1890 in Vienna, Austria; Died: 1964Thought about becoming an engineer,Thought about becoming an engineer,

but entered the University of Vienna hopingbut entered the University of Vienna hopingto become a composer & music historian to become a composer & music historian

Accidentally entered a philosophy class, which sparked Accidentally entered a philosophy class, which sparked his interest from then onhis interest from then on

Participated in the Gestalt movement in HamburgParticipated in the Gestalt movement in Hamburg1933 Dismissed from Hamburg because he 1933 Dismissed from Hamburg because he

was Jewishwas Jewish1936-1943 studied mentally impaired children1936-1943 studied mentally impaired childrenTaught at Brooklyn College, then Clark Taught at Brooklyn College, then Clark

UniversityUniversity

Werner VocabularyWerner Vocabulary• Orthogenic Principle: The developmental process of a child

goes from a relative lack of differentiation to an increased state of differentiation.

• Synesthesia: The syncretic unity of the senses.

• Physiognomic Perception: The way one perceives stimuli when reacting to its emotional and expressive qualities.

• Self-Object Differentiation: Process by which children learn to differentiate themselves from the world around them.

– Sensori-motor, Perceptual, Conceptual

Jean Piaget: A Short BiographyJean Piaget: A Short Biography

Born in Switzerland in1896 Published first article at age 10 Earned P.H.D. in Natural Sciences Studied his own children Focused on children’s mistakes Tested children’s ego-centric

perception using the “3 Mountain

Problem” Experiment

Piaget VocabularyPiaget Vocabulary

Egocentrism: When a child regards everything from his or her own viewpoint; a child who is egocentric cannot distinguish between the viewpoints of others from his own.

““Three Mountain Problem”Three Mountain Problem”

• Piaget designed this experiment to support his theory that children possess egocentric characteristics of thought during the preoperational period of cognitive development (Ages 1-7).

• After showing a child all sidesof the mountain, he tested if the child could describe a sidefrom the doll’s perspective.

““Three Mountain Problem” (Cont.)Three Mountain Problem” (Cont.)

• Preoperational children failed to describe the mountain from the doll’s perspective

• The child typically described their own side of the mountain demonstrating egocentric perception

Our ExperimentOur Experiment

• We are investigating children’s perception and how it relates to synesthesia.

• Our experiment combines Piaget’s “Three Mountain Problem”, which focuses on perception, with Werner’s theory of synesthesia and the orthogenic principle.

• Lastly, we are analyzing the physiognomic perception of the children.

Hypothesis 1—Orthogenic PrincipleHypothesis 1—Orthogenic Principle

1. The older children are, the better they will remember what they see on the mountain because they will have had more time to develop their ability to perceive.

Hypothesis 2—SynesthesiaHypothesis 2—Synesthesia

2. The more exposure to the senses, the more experience the child will have to draw upon, thus perceiving things beyond himself. We believe that the children who have more exposure to different sensory domains will give more differentiated responses.

Hypothesis 3—Physiognomic Hypothesis 3—Physiognomic PerceptionPerception

3. With more exposure to sensory domains, the children will give more physiognomic responses.

Our ExperimentOur Experiment

• Salvation Army After School Program

• Located 5 minutes away from campus

• Ages 6-12 years old

• Most kids were already familiar with Katie

The ExperimentThe Experiment

• Group arrives

• Explanation

• Starting on Collin Cow’s side, the group travels around the mountain.

• After the “tour”, the group sits down and, seeing only the icy side of the mountain, proceed to answer the questions.

Experiment (Cont.)Experiment (Cont.)

• Group 1—SIGHT

• Group 2—SIGHT and SMELL

• Group 3—SIGHT, SMELL, and SOUND

The MountainThe Mountain

1. Collin Cow’s Waterfall Side

2. Greta Groundhog’s Volcano Side

3. Betty Bear’s Forest Side

4. Your Snowy Side

The Mountain (Cont.)The Mountain (Cont.)

• Collin Cow’s Waterfall Side1. Orange Fish

2. Yellow Fish

3. Rock

4. Opossum

5. Squirrel

The Mountain (Cont.)The Mountain (Cont.)

• Greta Groundhog’s Volcano Side1. Vulture

2. Bones

3. Raptor

4. Lizard

5. Spider

The Mountain (Cont.)The Mountain (Cont.)

• Betty Bear’s Forest Side1. Flowers

2. Bunny Family

3. Deer

4. Snake

5. Owl

The Mountain (Cont.)The Mountain (Cont.)

• Your Snowy Side1. Trees

2. Penguins

3. Walrus

4. Arctic Fox

5. Lake

Time to be a Guinea PigTime to be a Guinea Pig

Results and Data AnalysisResults and Data Analysis

• Using our questionnaire, we compiled the answers received, along with biographical information, on various charts.

• We gave each child a point for each correct object remembered.

Orthogenic PrincipleOrthogenic Principle

• Whenever development occurs, it proceeds from a state of relative lack of differentiation to a state of increasing differentiation and hierarchic integration.

• Application: Our experiment tested whether or not the Orthogenic Principle is applicable with perception (i.e. the older the child, the better his or her ability to perceive and remember the different sides of the mountain).

Orthogenic PrincipleName Age Birthday Group Waterfall Volcano Forest Total

Angalena 6 Dec. 23 1 3 2 0 5

Ruben 6 Apr. 16, 2003 2 4 4 4 12

Elisa 6 Mar. 28 3 2 1 0 3

Mark 7 Jan. 24 1 2 2 2 6

Tuan 7 Apr. 14 2 4 4 0 8

Alex 8 Apr. 13 1 2 1 1 4

Julia 8 Sept. 20 3 2 3 2 7

Jadia 9 Jul. 14, 2000 3 3 2 2 7

Carlos 9 Oct. 24 3 0* 0* 0* 0*

Jose 10 Nov. 22, 1998 2 4 4 3 11

Miguel 11 Aug. 5, 1998 1 5 6 4 15

Antonio 11 Oct. 6, 1998 2 1 3 2 6

Analysis

• With a few exceptions, the orthogenic principle applies to the development of perception.

• Ruben (6) with 12 total

• Highest score: Miguel (11) with 15 total.

• Lowest score: Elisa (6) with 3 total.

Orthogenic Principle—WaterfallName Age Group Waterfall Side Total

Angalena 6 1 Trees, Lake, Grass 3

Ruben 6 2 Leaves, Waterfall, Fishes, Rock 4

Elisa 6 3 Orange Fish, Waterfall 2

Mark 7 1 Tree, Bush 2

Tuan 7 2 Owl, Fox, Fish, Rocks 4

Alex 8 1 2 Fish swimming 2

Julia 8 3 A Waterfall and Bushes 2

Jadia 9 3 Waterfall and Grass and Animals 3

Carlos 9 3 Collin Cow smells so good 0*

Jose 10 2She sees a Waterfall, Possum, Orange

and Yellow Fish, and a Deer4

Miguel 11 12 Fish trying to swim up so they won't

hit the rock. Opposum, Squirrel, & bird that flew over to get water.

5

Antonio 11 2 Owl 1

Orthogenic Principle—Volcano Name Age Group Volcano Total

Angalena 6 1 Lava, Lizard 2

Ruben 6 2 Lava, Spider, Bones, Branches 4

Elisa 6 3 Waterfall, Water 1

Mark 7 1 Lizard, Vulture 2

Tuan 7 2 Lava, Dinosaur, Rocks, Bones 4

Alex 8 1 Dried Lava 1

Julia 8 3 Lava and Lizards and A Burnt Mountain 3

Jadia 9 3 Lava and Burnt Wood 2

Carlos 9 3 Stuff to eat 0*

Jose 10 2 He sees Lava, Spiders, Raptor, Vulture 4

Miguel 11 1Lava, Rocks, Spider, Vulture, Lizard, &

Dinosaur I think6

Antonio 11 2 Lava, Raptor, Spider 3

Orthogenic Principle—ForestName Age Group Forest Side Total

Angalena 6 1 0

Ruben 6 2Little Deer, Leaves, Berries, Little

Pods 4

Elisa 6 3 Fox, Waterfall, Bear 0

Mark 7 1 Deer, Snake 2

Tuan 7 2 0

Alex 8 1 Family of Bunnies 1

Julia 8 3 She sees Flowers and Bushes 2

Jadia 9 3 Flower and Animals 2

Carlos 9 3 She loves the snow 0*

Jose 10 2She sees an Owl, Squirrel, Bunny

family 3

Miguel 11 1 Bunnies, Snake, Owl, and Trees 4

Antonio 11 2 Deer, Snake 2

Synesthesia• The syncretic unity of the senses.

• A condition in which normally separate senses are not separate. Sight may mingle with sound, taste with touch, etc. The senses are cross-wired.

Ex. Hearing colors

• Application: With each new group in our “Three Mountain Problem” experiment adaptation, we added an additional sense to see if it had an effect on the children’s perception.

SynesthesiaName Age Birthday Group Waterfall Volcano Forest Total

Alex 8 Apr. 13 1 2 1 0

Angalena 6 Dec. 23 1 2 2 1

Mark 7 Jan. 24 1 3 2 2

Miguel 11 Aug. 5 1 5 6 4 30

Antonio 11 Oct. 6 2 1 3 0

Ruben 6 Apr. 16 2 4 4 2

Tuan 7 Apr. 14 2 4 4 3

Jose 10 Nov. 22 2 4 4 4 37

Carlos 9 Oct. 24 3 0* 0* 0*

Elisa 6 Mar. 28 3 2 1 0

Jadia 9 Jul. 14 3 2 2 2

Julia 8 Sept. 20 3 3 3 2 17

Analysis

• Our results do not immediately show that increasing synesthesia improved perception.

• Group 2 did do better than Group 1, but Group 3 had the lowest results.

Synesthesia—WaterfallName Age Group Waterfall Side Total

Mark 7 1 Tree, Bush 2

Alex 8 1 2 Fish swimming 2

Angalena 6 1 Trees, Lake, Grass 3

Miguel 11 12 Fish trying to swim up so they won't hit

the rock. Opposum, Squirrel, & bird that flew over to get water.

5

Antonio 11 2 Owl 1

Ruben 6 2 Leaves, Waterfall, Fishes, Rock 4

Tuan 7 2 Owl, Fox, Fish, Rocks 4

Jose 10 2She sees a Waterfall, Possum, Orange &

Yellow Fish, & a Deer4

Carlos 9 3 Collin Cow smells so good 0*

Elisa 6 3 Orange Fish, Waterfall 2

Julia 8 3 A Waterfall and Bushes 2

Jadia 9 3 Waterfall and Grass and Animals 3

Synesthesia—VolcanoName Age Group Volcano Total

Alex 8 1 Dried Lava 1

Angalena 6 1 Lava, Lizard 2

Mark 7 1 Lizard, Vulture 2

Miguel 11 1Lava, Rocks, Spider, Vulture, Lizard, &

Dinosaur I think6

Antonio 11 2 Lava, Raptor, Spider 3

Ruben 6 2 Lava, Spider, Bones, Branches 4

Tuan 7 2 Lava, Dinosaur, Rocks, Bones 4

Jose 10 2 He sees Lava, Spiders, Raptor, Vulture 4

Carlos 9 3 Stuff to eat 0*

Elisa 6 3 Waterfall, Water 1

Jadia 9 3 Lava and Burnt Wood 2

Julia 8 3 Lava and Lizards and A Burnt Mountain 3

Synesthesia—ForestName Age Group Forest Side Total

Angalena 6 1 0

Alex 8 1 Family of Bunnies 1

Mark 7 1 Deer, Snake 2

Miguel 11 1 Bunnies, Snake, Owl, and Trees 4

Tuan 7 2 0

Antonio 11 2 Deer, Snake 2

Jose 10 2She sees an Owl, Squirrel, Bunny

family3

Ruben 6 2 Little Deer, Leaves, Berries, Little Pods 4

Carlos 9 3 She loves the snow 0*

Elisa 6 3 Fox, Waterfall, Bear 0

Julia 8 3 She sees Flowers and Bushes 2

Jadia 9 3 Flower and Animals 2

Why Did Group 3 Perform the Way They Did?

• Carlos

• Source of Sound

• Looking at the Laptop

• More Females in Group 3• Do males perform better?

Physiognomic Perception

• Perceiving stimuli through their dynamic, emotional, and expressive qualities as opposed to perceiving objective and measurable properties.

• Application: In our experiment, we asked the children questions (Questions 4 and 5) that we thought would provoke them to answer in a manner that would reflect physiognomic perception.

Physiognomic PerceptionName Age Group Q 4 Q 5

Angalena 6 1 Lake

Ruben 6 2 Dam

Elisa 6 3 Bones Ocean

Mark 7 1 Oaks

Tuan 7 2 Rainbows

Alex 8 1 Bright There's a Fox

Julia 8 3 Beautiful Gorgeous

Jadia 9 3 Hawaii Beautiful

Carlos 9 3 Side smells good It is cold

Jose 10 2Collin the Cow is really

peaceful. Not a lot of noise.

She lives near a waterfall and poison snake.

Miguel 11 1Foresty with a lot of

trees.Nature and Survivory

Antonio 11 2 Rocky

Analysis

• Our results show that children do reflect physiognomic perception. However, the results are not substantial.

• Child did not answer both questions.• There is no correlation between ages.

• Difficulty by the way we worded the question.

• Children asked what Questions 4 and 5 meant.• Several were left blank.

A Closer Look at Carlos

• Egocentric Perception– Beyond egocentric perception.

• He describes things from the perspective of the different animals.

A Closer Look at Carlos (Cont.)

• Self-Object Differentiation– High perceptual level– Perceives things apart from the self but his

perceptions still are entwined with his own actions and feelings.

• Question 1: Greta Groundhog sees “stuff to eat”.• Question 2: “Collin Cow smells so good.”• Question 3: Betty Bear “loves the snow”.

ConclusionConclusion• Hypothesis 1—Orthogenic Principle:

Correct!• With the exception of Ruben, results

showed that the older the child was, the more developed his perception was.

Conclusion

• Hypothesis 2—Synesthesia:Wrong!

(according to our results)• Having more children involved in the

experiment could have brought about more consistency.

• Sound should have been better concealed.

ConclusionConclusion• Hypothesis 3—Physiognomic Perception:

Wrong!

(according to our results)

• Phrasing our question differently could have better tested for physiognomic perception.

If we could do it again…If we could do it again…• Do the experiment with more kids!• Spend more time on each side of the mountain• Add another sensory experience, like touch• Conceal the source of sound• Have the kids face the mountain when answering the questions• Maybe ask about just one side of the mountain to create more

focus• Less interruptions, have a more isolated experiment environment• Do the experiment with one subject at a time to prevent

distractions • Do the experiment with UD students• Create more diverse groups

Questions1. Do males and females respond differently to

different sensory experiences?

2. Why did Ruben, who was not only exposed to one sensory experience but also was 6 years old, respond better than most of the other subjects?

3. Why is Carlos at a higher perceptual level?

4. Do socioeconomic backgrounds affect the responses of the children?

5. Was our experiment too complex to get reliable results?

Nature or Nurture?Nature or Nurture?

Nature Nurture

PiagetWerner

Any Questions?Any Questions?

Thank You