The two major objectives of this study were: (1) to develop techniques for quantifying and evaluating properties of a "learning context" (i.e., a sequence of observations generated by subjects in solving a problem), and (2) to determine whether or not there is a relationship between properties of observational sequences generated in solving a problem and conceptualization of patterns of interaction in a physical system. A secondary objective was to determine whether sex and the ability to conceptualize and abstract information were also related to conceptualization of interactions in a physical system. The problem task was a set of interacting discs (designed and constructed by the investigator) which met two requirements: (1) it was novel to the subject, and (2) all information required for solution of the problem could only be gathered through direct, codable manipulations of the discs. The results suggested that conceptualization of interactions in a physical system is more a function of the learning context than the child's intellectual ability or the fact that he solved the problem. Those properties of the learning context most directly related to conceptualization were: (1) repetitiveness of observations, (2) saliency of particular observations, (3) deliberation time between observations, (4) the order in which observations were made, (5) shifts in structural patterns, and (6) the transitional probabilities between observations. (Author/JR)