Complex analogies interpretation. Tests for high school. Methodology “Complex Analogies”

Methodology “Complex Analogies”

Target: the technique is used to determine how accessible the subject is to understanding complex logical relationships and identifying abstract connections. Intended for adolescents and adults.

Description. The technique consists of 20 pairs of words - logical problems that the subject is asked to solve. His task is to determine which of the six types of logical connections is contained in each pair of words. The “Cipher” will help him with this - a table that shows examples of the types of communication used and their letter designation: A, B, C, D, D, E.

The test subject must determine the relationship between the words in a pair, then find an “analogue”, that is, select in the “Cipher” table - a pair of words with the same logical connection, and then mark in a row of letters (A, B, C, D, D, E) the one that corresponds to the found analogue from the “Cipher” table. The task completion time is limited to three minutes.

Material. Methodology form, response registration form.

Instructions. “On the form in front of you there are 20 pairs consisting of words that are in a logical connection with each other. Opposite each pair are 6 letters that indicate 6 types of logical connections. Examples of all 6 types and their corresponding letters are given in the “Code” table.

You must first determine the relationship between the words in the pair. Then select the pair of words closest to them by analogy (association) from the “Cipher” table. And after that, in the letter row, circle the letter that corresponds to the analogue found in the “Cipher” table. The task completion time is 3 minutes.”

Material for the method

Cipher

A. Sheep - flock
B. Raspberry - berry
B. Sea - ocean
D. Light - darkness
D. Poisoning - death
E. Enemy - enemy

1. Fright - flight A B C D E E
2. Physics - science A B C D E E
3. Correct - correct A B C D E E
4. Bed - vegetable garden A B C D E E
5. Pair – two A B C D E E
6. Word - phrase A B C D E E
7. Cheerful - sluggish A B C D E E
8. Freedom - will A B C D E E
9. Country - city A B C D E E
10. Praise - scolding A B C D E E
11. Revenge - arson A B C D E E
12. Ten is the number A B C D E E
13. Cry - roar A B C D E E
14. Chapter - novel A B C D E E
15. Rest - movement A B C D E E
16. Courage - heroism A B C D E E
17. Cool - frost A B C D E E
18. Deception - mistrust A B C D E E
19. Singing is an art A B C D E E
20. Bedside table - wardrobe A B C D E E

Key

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
D	B	E	A	E	A	G	E	IN	G	D	B	E	A	G	E	IN	D	B	IN

Grade

Analysis of results

If the subject correctly, without much difficulty, solved all the tasks and logically explained all the comparisons, this gives the right to conclude that he can understand abstractions and complex logical connections.

If the subject has difficulty understanding the instructions and makes mistakes when making comparisons (only after a thorough analysis of errors and reasoning), we can draw a conclusion about the slipping of conclusions, the spread of thinking, the arbitrariness, illogicality of reasoning, diffuseness, vagueness of thought against the background of an understanding of logical connections, and a false understanding of the analogy logical connections.

The most informative value is the reasoning of the subject. Usually the greatest difficulty is caused by the relationship between the concepts of “coolness and frost”.

One of the signs of maturity of thinking is the ability to establish logical connections between concepts. It develops in a person gradually, including during schooling. The task of teachers and psychologists is to monitor the development of the child’s thought processes in order to identify the lag behind the age norm. One of the tests for assessing the ability to think logically is the “Complex Analogies” technique.

The essence of the technique

Testing "Complex analogies" is one of the most common ways to study the dynamics of mental activity. This technique was developed by our compatriot E. A. Korobkova, a psychologist who worked with children who have problems in the development of intelligence.

The test is aimed at studying the child’s abilities to build logical conclusions, abstract and establish connections between concepts. Its essence is to discover relationships between 20 pairs of concepts and type them in accordance with the proposed key or “cipher”.

List of concepts for testing using the “Complex analogies” method

Fright - flight;
Physics is a science;
Right - right;
Garden bed - vegetable garden;
Pair - two;
Word - phrase;
Cheerful - lethargic;
Freedom is will;
Country city;
Praise is scolding;
Revenge - arson;
Ten is a number;
Cry - roar;
Chapter-novel;
Rest is movement;
Courage is heroism;
Cool - frost;
Deception - mistrust;
Singing is an art;
Bedside table - wardrobe.

The code consists of 6 pairs of words denoting concepts that are related to each other according to a certain principle:

Cipher

Sheep - herd (part - whole);
Raspberry - berry (genus - species);
Sea - ocean (small - large);
Light - darkness (antonyms);
Poisoning - death (cause - effect);
Enemy - enemy (synonyms).

When working with children, it is best to conduct research individually or in small groups of 4–5 people, since explaining the task may require the experimenter’s close attention to each of the participants.

Testing is recommended for children aged 12–14 years, as well as high school students; there is no upper age limit. This technique may be too difficult for younger children, because their logical thinking is not yet sufficiently formed to grasp abstract connections between concepts. Some sources indicate that even educated adults do not always perform well on this test, so testing elementary school children using this program is not recommended.

Carrying out diagnostics among schoolchildren (junior, middle, high school)

To carry out testing you will need:

assignment form;
watch or stopwatch;
protocol for recording the subject's explanations.

At the first stage, the test taker is offered a “cipher” for the task - 6 pairs of words, united by a certain type of logical connection. The teenager needs to establish what relationships exist between the presented concepts. In case of difficulties, the experimenter asks leading questions (which is why it is recommended to test individually).

If a child, due to age or personality characteristics, cannot establish connections between the proposed concepts, further testing does not make sense. However, it should be noted that difficulties in completing the task can be associated not only with disturbances in thought processes, but also with the child’s shyness, when it is difficult for him to get in touch with the experimenter, as well as with a decrease in motivation, when the test taker does not want to cooperate or is lazy to do a task.

After making sure that the subject understands the logical connections between the proposed pairs of concepts, the experimenter opens the second part of the form with 20 pairs of words that are in the same relationships as the words from the first list. The child is asked to establish these relationships and designate them with a letter corresponding to the type of logical connection, or simply indicate a pair of words from the keys that have the same type of connection.

Task form for the methodology

A. Sheep - flock;
B. Raspberry - berry;
B. Sea - ocean;
G. Light - darkness;
D. Poisoning - death;
E. The enemy is the enemy.

1.	Fright - flight	A	B	IN	G	D	E
2.	Physics - science	A	B	IN	G	D	E
3.	Right - right	A	B	IN	G	D	E
4.	Garden bed	A	B	IN	G	D	E
5.	A couple or two	A	B	IN	G	D	E
6.	Word - phrase	A	B	IN	G	D	E
7.	Cheerful - lethargic	A	B	IN	G	D	E
8.	Freedom - will	A	B	IN	G	D	E
9.	Country city	A	B	IN	G	D	E
10.	Praise - scolding	A	B	IN	G	D	E
11.	Revenge - arson	A	B	IN	G	D	E
12.	Ten is a number	A	B	IN	G	D	E
13.	Cry - roar	A	B	IN	G	D	E
14.	Chapter-novel	A	B	IN	G	D	E
15.	Rest - movement	A	B	IN	G	D	E
16.	Courage is heroism	A	B	IN	G	D	E
17.	Cool - frost	A	B	IN	G	D	E
18.	Deception - mistrust	A	B	IN	G	D	E
19.	Singing is an art	A	B	IN	G	D	E
20.	Bedside table - wardrobe	A	B	IN	G	D	E

As an example, you can parse the first two pairs of words together, but the student completes the rest of the tasks independently. The test takes 3–5 minutes depending on the age of the students.

As testing progresses, the experimenter fills out a protocol: in it he records not only the test subject’s answers, but also the logical conclusions that allowed him to classify this or that pair into a certain category.

Experimenter's protocol for testing using the “Complex Analogies” method

A couple of concepts	Subject's answer	A comment
Fright - flight
Physics - science
Right - right
Garden bed
A couple or two
Word - phrase
Cheerful - lethargic
Freedom - will
Country city
Praise - scolding
Revenge - arson
Ten is a number
Cry - roar
Chapter-novel
Rest - movement
Courage is heroism
Cool - frost
Deception - mistrust
Singing is an art
Bedside table - wardrobe

The test taker’s reasoning can be no less useful and indicative for assessing his logical thinking than the answers themselves and their correctness. Justifying the choice of one answer or another makes it possible to identify slippage and spreading of thinking, indicating its immaturity.

Interpretation of results

The experimenter counts the number of correct answers: 1 point is awarded for each correct answer, 0 points for an incorrect answer. 9 points - the line of reasoning is logical, but perhaps the subject was distracted during the testing process;

8 points - there are violations in building connections between phenomena (perhaps due to lack of experience in working with similar tasks);

7 points - there are problems with logic in establishing relationships that do not cause any particular difficulties;

6–5 points - it is difficult for the test taker to find connections between ambiguous pairs (for example, “berry - raspberry”);

4 points - violation of logic, “spreading” of thinking processes associated with establishing correspondences;

3–2 points - the student understands the essence of the task, but makes mistakes when making comparisons, which indicates a slippage of conclusions, that is, there is some logic in the reasoning, but the connection is built incorrectly. For example, the pair “enemy - enemy” can be interpreted as a relationship that occurs during a war - the train of thought is somewhat correct, but the task is carried out according to a different principle.

1 point - the subject has a loose mind, his arguments are illogical, analogies are perceived falsely, and there is an inability to build logical connections.

The “Complex Analogies” technique is a common way to study thinking. However, some critics note that it is quite difficult - even educated adults without mental disorders do not always perform it 100% correctly. Therefore, if a student performs poorly, this cannot be interpreted as a diagnosis of mental retardation, but should be a reason for further examination. The final conclusions and recommendations for completing a correctional training program should be made by a specialist in the field of developmental psychology.

School education involves mastering a large amount of theoretical material and applying the acquired knowledge in practice. At the same time, maximum attention and the ability to think logically are required from the child. Of course, these qualities are formed and improved gradually. But before starting training, teachers need to assess their existing level of development in order to make a certain correction based on the results. Today, one of the most accurate, fastest and objective ways to diagnose the thinking of primary schoolchildren is the “Simple Analogies” technique.

about the author

In the middle of the last century, American psychologist William Gordon proposed the creation of analogies as a way of development. The test was developed for adults. However, teachers and psychologists liked its diagnostic accuracy so much that they decided to adapt the technique for children. The joint efforts of specialists from several countries have significantly simplified the test, introducing significant qualitative changes to it.

Currently, the “Simple Analogies” method is actively used in Russian schools. Its author is not clearly named. However, domestic teachers follow the test technique described in detail in the textbook on developmental psychology for universities by I.Yu. Kulagina and V.N. Kalyutsky.

Purpose of the technique

Diagnosis of the thinking of younger schoolchildren has several orientations:

Check how quickly and accurately the child is able to establish cause-and-effect relationships between objects.
Assess his critical perception of information and the level of associative connections.
Establish the degree of the child’s ability to adapt to new material.
Assess stability, concentration, distribution and

An important goal pursued by the “Simple Analogies” technique is to establish a dominant type of thinking, or conceptual connections between objects that the child uses when solving problems. This may be based on external similarity or a conclusion from the essence of the concept (logical thinking).

Description

Classically, this test is presented on a printed form with 32 items. Each position includes two words that have a certain logical connection with each other. This couple acts as a model. Next to it is another word, to which, using the example, you need to select an association by analogy. The selection process takes place from the auxiliary words given below. In this case, the logical connection must be justified by the analogy itself given in the sample.

For example: sun - Panama, rain - ...?

Of the words “water”, “cold”, “puddles”, “umbrella”, the last word has a strong logical connection. Because the analogy here is “protection”. A person is protected from the sun by a panama hat, and from rain by an umbrella.

The “Simple Analogies” technique for younger schoolchildren can be carried out individually or in a group. During group testing, children are seated one at a time, thereby preventing cheating from a neighbor.

Regarding time, there are also two options: with a limit (two to three minutes per question) and without it. The teacher can set the time frame only with reference to the mental and physiological characteristics of the child.

Instructions

The “Simple Analogies” technique has clear instructions for testing and involves four stages:

Preparation. First, the teacher needs to place two signal samples on the board. The tasks are similar to those in the forms, but not identical. Then the children are given forms with a comment on each person’s signature (last name, first name).
Training. Now the children’s attention switches to the board and the task is explained. First, children try to make associations orally.
Executing the test. After the teacher has instructed them to carefully read the sample on the form, the children begin writing. To clarify the task, you can jointly analyze the first position. For example: “bear - little bear.” The teacher must emphasize that we are talking about animals and their young. This means that the association for the word “horse” in this analogy will be “foal”.
Calculation of results. At this stage, the forms are collected and verified. Works are assessed in accordance with the recommended test criteria.

Important points include the teacher’s explanation of how to fill out the form correctly. Place a check mark next to the correct answer or underline it. This is necessary so that the child does not get confused and does not waste time deciding.

If there is a slow child in the group, then the teacher should approach him more often during the test, but only to encourage or clarify the question, and not to help him answer correctly.

Interpretation

A significant advantage is the accurate, quick calculations provided by the “Simple Analogies” technique. Its quantitative interpretation looks like this:

with 31-32 points, the child’s logical thinking is highly developed;
with 25-30 points, the quality of thinking is assessed well, but you need to work on stability of attention;
with 15-24 points, the child’s logic and attention need regular training;
with 5-14 points we can talk about daily skills development classes.

With low scores, correction of attention and logical thinking is required. Such activities will help the child in further learning, significantly increasing his level of development.

Complex analogies

For children who receive the maximum score, a test using complex analogies can be conducted. The principle of establishing communication remains the same, only the system for completing tasks becomes more complicated. Now the child must distribute the types of analogies into groups. Selection of associations is not required.

The “Simple and Complex Analogies” technique is the most effective and fastest way today to test the attention of schoolchildren in order to ensure a high-quality educational process.

Analogy is the similarity or similarity of certain concepts and phenomena. From the point of view of psychology, this is a specific conclusion about the similarity of two objects and phenomena on some basis, which appears as a result of the similarity of these objects or phenomena on a completely different basis.

By analogy, we usually talk about what is not directly accessible. With the help of analogies, the understandable becomes even clearer, abstract concepts become more tangible, the abstract becomes more concrete. Tasks to detect analogies are used in psychodiagnostics.

Analogies play an important role in understanding the overall picture of a problem and determining ways to solve it. But due to the fact that analogies do not provide a complete picture of the situation, more complex diagnostic methods are used. One of them is the “Complex Analogies” method. The “Complex Analogies” test is widely used in modern psychodiagnostics.

Methodology "Complex analogies"

Methodology for determining the ability to find simple and complex logical connections between various concepts, as well as to determine abstract connections between different phenomena of the surrounding world was first introduced by E.A. Korobkova, a psychiatrist and psychologist who for a long time studied the characteristics of the mental and physiological health of children with developmental disabilities.

This technique is called “Complex Analogies.” The practical significance of this methodology is to determine the level of intellectual development of a teenager and whether this level corresponds to age standards. But the value of this technique lies in the fact that it is also used to study adults.

The essence of the technique is that the test taker receives a form with tasks. Each form contains 20 pairs of words. These couples have certain connections with each other. In addition, the form contains 12 words from a special code, which also contains pairs of words related to each other in a certain way.

Logical connections can be:

Causal (poisoning-death)
Antonymous (light-dark)
Quantitative (sea-ocean)
Gathering (sheep-flock)
Synonymous (friend-buddy)
Species berry-raspberry)

The test duration is 4-5 minutes. Individual and group forms of research are allowed. Answers are given in writing.

How to do the test?

This is what a typical test form looks like:

Sample:

A. Poisoning – death
B. Sheep - flock
B. Light - darkness
G. Sea - ocean
D. Enemy - enemy
E. Raspberry - berry

Test:

Cry - roar
Pair - two
Freedom - will
Chapter - novel
Country city
Rest - movement
Praise - scolding
Bedside table - wardrobe
Chemistry is a science
Garden bed
Letter - word
Singing is an art
Revenge - arson
Nine is a number
Right - right
Deception - mistrust
Courage is heroism
Cool - frost
Fright - flight
Cheerful - lethargic

For every pair of words need to find an analogy from the proposed list of logical connections: A, B, C, D, C, E

Keys

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
D	D	D	B	G	IN	IN	G	E	B	B	E	A	E	D	A	D	G	A	IN

First, the experimenter carries out preparatory work with the test subject according to the sample (the first 6 pairs of words). The types and types of connections and relationships between words in pairs are clarified. The subject is given to understand that the data in the test of 20 pairs of words have such connections. He must find these connections and circle the desired answer.

The subject begins the test, and the experimenter marks the start time of the test. You can write down your answers as numbers or whole pairs of words. If difficulties arise, the test organizer can help the test taker. These should be questions that point him in the right direction of his search and lead him to the right conclusion. Test results are determined by counting points. A score is given (maximum number of points - 10, minimum -1):

The leader of the experiment must take into account oral statements subject for the most accurate diagnosis of disorders of mental and thinking activity. Therefore, the experimenter must be a specialist in developmental psychology.

Having determined with the help of a test the intellectual level and the correspondence of the level of mental development to the age of the subject, the psychologist develops an individual program of work with him, and, if necessary, corrective work is carried out.

The establishment of logical relationships between phenomena is considered one of the indicators of personality maturity. Why is it important to periodically diagnose how successfully a student is mastering a skill? This is why the “Complex Analogies” technique turns out to be a very informative and important research technique.

English educator and philosopher of the 18th century John Locke

The appointment was offered by psychologist and psychiatrist E.A. Korobkova, who worked with children with disabilities in mental and physiological development. The objectives of the methodology are to determine:

the child’s ability to establish logical connections of various types (both complex and simple) between concepts;
the ability to understand abstract connections between phenomena.

The essence of the diagnosis is that the subject receives a form with 40 words that are in a certain connection and combined into pairs, as well as 12 words related to the code, in which pairs with specific types of logical relationships are indicated as a sample:

collective (“sheep - flock”);
species (“raspberry - berry”);
quantitative (“sea - ocean”);
antonymous (“light - darkness”);
cause-and-effect (“poisoning - death”);
synonymous (“enemy - enemy”).

The test can be used in work with children over 13–14 years of age; there are no final age restrictions for using the technique.

Diagnostic procedure for schoolchildren

The study is recommended to be carried out individually, but group testing is also allowed. In both cases, diagnosis involves written answers. Allow 4–5 minutes to work with the test form.

Research algorithm:

Files: Materials for the test

Analysis and interpretation of results

After checking the teenager’s result using the keys, the experimenter counts the number of correct answers that match the sample and assigns a rating on a ten-point scale:

The result is interpreted as follows:

10 points - the child understands abstractions and complex logical connections;
9 points - the reasoning is logical, but perhaps the subject was distracted during the testing process;
8 points - there are violations in building connections between phenomena (perhaps due to lack of experience in working with similar tasks);
7 points - there are problems with logic in establishing relationships that do not cause any particular difficulties;
6–5 points - it is difficult for the test taker to find connections between ambiguous pairs (for example, “berry - raspberry”);
4 points - violation of logic, “spreading” of thinking processes associated with establishing correspondences;
3–2 points - the student understands the essence of the task, but makes mistakes when making comparisons, which indicates a slippage of conclusions, that is, there is some logic in the reasoning, but the connection is built incorrectly. For example, the pair “enemy - enemy” can be interpreted as a relationship that occurs during a war - the train of thought is somewhat correct, but the task is carried out according to a different principle.
1 point - the subject has a loose mind, his arguments are illogical, analogies are perceived falsely, and there is an inability to build logical connections.

As for the child’s oral commentary in an individual form, it is important for diagnosing disorders of the thought process, the nature of which can only be concluded by a specialist in developmental psychology in order to develop an individual correction program.

The “Complex Analogies” technique allows us to draw conclusions about how well a child can build various kinds of logical connections between phenomena and concepts. These results are of great value for determining the intellectual level of a teenager, as well as his compliance with age standards. Based on the test results, the psychologist can offer an individual correction program if necessary.