Which concept involves deriving relationships like if A=B and B=C then A=C?

Which concept involves deriving relationships like if A=B and B=C then A=C?

• A. Schemas
• B. Transitive Inference
• C. Object Permanence
• D. Seriation

Answer: (B)

Transitive inference is the ability to deduce a new relationship from two known ones. If A equals B and B equals C, you can logically conclude that A equals C. This mirrors the transitive property found in mathematics and logic, where a relation can be extended along a chain: equality, order, and similar relations all allow this kind of deduction. Context helps: in cognitive development, this kind of reasoning shows up when a child can infer unseen comparisons from two given ones—like if one block is larger than another, and that one is larger than a third, the first is larger than the third. Other concepts listed don’t capture this specific act of chaining relationships to derive a new one. Schemas are about organizing knowledge into frameworks, object permanence is about understanding that objects continue to exist when not seen, and seriation is about ordering items by a dimension (like size) rather than inferring a new relationship from two known ones.

Transitive inference is the ability to deduce a new relationship from two known ones. If A equals B and B equals C, you can logically conclude that A equals C. This mirrors the transitive property found in mathematics and logic, where a relation can be extended along a chain: equality, order, and similar relations all allow this kind of deduction.

Context helps: in cognitive development, this kind of reasoning shows up when a child can infer unseen comparisons from two given ones—like if one block is larger than another, and that one is larger than a third, the first is larger than the third.

Other concepts listed don’t capture this specific act of chaining relationships to derive a new one. Schemas are about organizing knowledge into frameworks, object permanence is about understanding that objects continue to exist when not seen, and seriation is about ordering items by a dimension (like size) rather than inferring a new relationship from two known ones.