Here is a simple instrument usable across a wide age range that discriminates among 3 levels of epistemological understanding within different knowledge domains. For each comparison, the respondent is asked, "Could both Robin and Chris be right?" If the answer is affirmative, a second question follows: "Could one of them be any more right than the other?" A negative answer to the first question indicates absolutist understanding. A negative answer to the second question indicates multiplist understanding and a positive answer to the second question indicates evaluativist understanding.
Kuhn, Cheney, & Weinstock (in press) found that the recognition of subjectivity central to the transition to the multiplist level is most readily achieved in personal taste and aesthetic judgments and least readily in social and physical truth judgments. Once subjectivity is accepted and becomes dominant, objectivity is reintegrated in the reverse order, i.e., transition to the evaluativist level is most readily achieved with respect to truth judgments. For some individuals, however, both transitions proved most difficult in the values domain.
Assessment items:
Judgments of Personal Taste
ROBIN SAYS WARM SUMMER DAYS ARE NICEST.
CHRIS SAYS COOL AUTUMN DAYS ARE NICEST.
ROBIN SAYS THE STEW IS SPICY.
CHRIS SAYS THE STEW IS NOT SPICY AT ALL.
ROBIN THINKS WEDDINGS SHOULD BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOON.
CHRIS THINKS WEDDINGS SHOULD BE HELD IN THE EVENING.
Aesthetic Judgments
ROBIN THINKS THE FIRST PIECE OF MUSIC THEY LISTEN TO IS BETTER.
CHRIS THINKS THE SECOND PIECE OF MUSIC THEY LISTEN TO IS BETTER.
ROBIN THINKS THE FIRST PAINTING THEY LOOK AT IS BETTER.
CHRIS THINKS THE SECOND PAINTING THEY LOOK AT IS BETTER.
ROBIN THINKS THE FIRST BOOK THEY BOTH READ IS BETTER.
CHRIS THINKS THE SECOND BOOK THEY BOTH READ IS BETTER.
Value Judgments
ROBIN THINKS PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES.
CHRIS THINKS PEOPLE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER TO TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.
ROBIN THINKS LYING IS WRONG.
CHRIS THINKS LYING IS PERMISSIBLE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.
ROBIN THINKS THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LIMIT THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN FAMILIES ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE TO KEEP THE POPULATION FROM GETTING TOO BIG.
CHRIS THINKS FAMILIES SHOULD HAVE AS MANY CHILDREN AS THEY CHOOSE.
Judgments of Truth about the Social World
ROBIN HAS ONE VIEW OF WHY CRIMINALS KEEP GOING BACK TO CRIME.
CHRIS HAS A DIFFERENT VIEW OF WHY CRIMINALS KEEP GOING BACK TO CRIME.
ROBIN THINKS ONE BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF WHY THE CRIMEAN WARS BEGAN IS RIGHT.
CHRIS THINKS ANOTHER BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF WHY THE CRIMEAN WARS BEGAN IS RIGHT.
ROBIN AGREES WITH ONE BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF HOW CHILDREN LEARN LANGUAGE.
CHRIS AGREES WITH ANOTHER BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF HOW CHILDREN LEARN LANGUAGE.
Judgments of Truth about the Physical World
ROBIN BELIEVES ONE BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF WHAT ATOMS ARE MADE UP OF.
CHRIS BELIEVES ANOTHER BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF WHAT ATOMS ARE MADE UP OF.
ROBIN BELIEVES ONE BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF HOW THE BRAIN WORKS.
CHRIS BELIEVES ANOTHER BOOK'S EXPLANATION OF HOW THE BRAIN WORKS.
ROBIN BELIEVES ONE MATHEMATICIAN'S PROOF OF THE MATH FORMULA IS RIGHT.
CHRIS BELIEVES ANOTHER MATHEMATICIAN'S PROOF OF THE MATH FORMULA IS RIGHT. ](END OF LINK)
For other, more extended assessment tools, see:
Hofer, B., & Pintrich, P. (Eds.) (in press). Epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Mahwah NJ: Erlbaum.