DEVELOPMENTAL-CHANGES IN QUESTIONING STRATEGIES DURING ADOLESCENCE

Males and females from early, middle, and late adolescent age groups w ere tested with three arrays in a modified version of a 20 Questions p roblem-solving task. The arrays differed by perceptual and conceptual categorical contracts. The participants' questions were examined to de termine (a) how efficiently they used the categorical information pres ent in the arrays and (b) the frequencies of different question types. Analysis showed that the arrays varied in how efficiently they were s olved and that late adolescents were the most efficient at reducing al ternatives by their third question. Question types differed predictabl y by array, except for a slight bias favoring conceptual category ques tions for an array with a balanced mixture of perceptual and conceptua l properties. Developmental differences in both efficiency and questio n type seem related and middle adolescent males exhibited a high frequ ency of syncretic questions, which may constitute a form of risk takin g.