| This dissertation examines the role of information-processing and attentional capacities in explaining the phenomenon of horizontal decalage in conservation, and the role of the practice of Transcendental Meditation in advancing the developmental levels of mental abilities and conservation. Sixty children who practice Transcendental Meditation and 75 control subjects participated in the study. Conservation performance was found to be significantly explained by a regression model that includes four mental abilities (i.e., information-processing, attention, cognitive flexibility, reflectivity), IQ levels, age, and SES. Information-processing and attention were found to be the only variables that correlated with conservation when all the other variables were partialed out. Threshold levels of information-processing appear to be necessary for the attainment of each of the conservation tasks. Compared with the control group of children, children who meditated achieved significantly higher scores when the tests of the four abilities and the conservation tasks were taken together. The number of years of Transcendental Meditation practice was found to correlate significantly with the children's achievement levels on 4 out of 7 performance measures, and the number of years of parental practice was found to correlate with 3 of these measures but less strongly. It was concluded that the gradual maturation of information-processing and attentional abilities seems to be a factor in the appearance of horizontal decalage, and that Transcendental Meditation appears to be a factor facilitating the developmental process. Limitations, theoretical implications, and future research possibilities are discussed. |
