What's left is closer to right. A response to keating

Abstract

The present paper attempts to respond to criticisms made by Keating (1988, Developmental Review, 8, 376-384) regarding the present author's earlier paper which described a recasted model of formal operations (Byrnes, 1988, Developmental Review, 8, 66-87). This earlier paper made a distinction between conceptual and procedural knowledge at the level of formal operations, and presented evidence supporting this recasted model. Keating (1988) argues that the recasted model fails to capture what Piaget originally intended, that it fails to incorporate a procedural knowledge component, and that there is some question as to what would constitute empirical support for the model. The present paper discusses each of these criticisms and others in turn, and clarifies earlier arguments. © 1988.