An investigation of the effects of a persuasive speech: An application of Piagets developmental theory

An investigation into the responses by fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh graders to the same persuasive speech established a relationship between their levels of ability and the three stages of cognitive development identified by Piaget. As predicted, the ability to make correct inferences about material in the speech increased with each advancing grade level, while recall scores remained stable in both III‐A and III‐B stages of the Formal Operational Phase. The fifth graders in Piaget's Concrete Operational Phase demonstrated a high degree of source dependency; older students demonstrated increased ability to respond to the content orientation of the speech and to resist attitude change. These findings have curriculum implications for speech communication teachers working with middle school and high school students, and for two‐year and four‐year college teachers who plan subsequent complementary advanced instruction for these students.