Neural Development of Deductive Reasoning

Neural Development of Deductive Reasoning: an fMRI Study of Relational and Categorical Reasoning in Children

Children's understanding of linear-order (e.g., Dan is taller than Lisa, Lisa is taller than Jess) and set-inclusion (i.e., All tulips are flowers, All flowers are plants) relationships is critical for the acquisition of deductive reasoning, that is, the ability to reach logically valid conclusions from given premises. Behavioral and neuroimaging studies in adults suggest processing differences between these relations: While arguments that involve linear-orders may be preferentially associated with spatial processing, arguments that involve set-inclusions may be preferentially associated with verbal processing. In this study, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate how and when these processing differences appear in children from 8 to 14.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Right-handed
• Affiliated to the French social security
• Whose parents gave informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neurological disorders
• Psychiatric disorders
• Birth complications requiring admission into neonatal intensive care unit
• Medication affecting central nervous system processing
• Significant hearing impairment
• Uncorrected visual impairment
• Non-native English speaker
• Contraindications for MRI