RUME 25
2023
Omaha, Nebraska
The Need for Conditional Inference Tasks with Mathematical Content
Page: 779
This theoretical report argues that conditional inference is central to undergraduate mathematics, and that there is potential for using and adapting conditional inference tasks from cognitive psychology to study ways in which reasoning develops (or does not develop) with mathematical expertise. Specifically, developing mathematical expertise might improve conditional reasoning in mathematics only, or it might improve conditional reasoning in a way that transfers to abstract and/or everyday contexts; alternatively, it might develop conceptual understanding, so that people become better at conceptually valid mathematical inferences but more vulnerable to invalid responses typically seen in tasks with everyday content. This report argues that, to test and distinguish these possible developmental mechanisms, we need new conditional inference tasks with mathematical content. It also describes the first stage of a project designed to develop (and later use) such tasks, initial outcomes of which will be reported at the conference.