The strength of intuitive knowledge is illustrated by the difficulty that individuals have in trying to restructure student misconceptions. In order to harness this power, intuition must be developed within the context of each new concept to be taught. An experiment with one possible approach to this instructional problem is described and…

The study attemped to link cognitive and social problems seen in girls with Turner syndrome by assessing the girls' ability to process affective cues. Seventeen 9- to 17-year-old girls diagnosed with Turner syndrome were compared to a matched control group on a task which required interpretation of affective intention from facial expression.…

Concrete problems were significantly less difficult than abstract problems at both junior and senior high school levels, as previously observed at elementary school level. Factual problems were significantly less difficult than hypothetical problems at junior and senior high school levels, in contrast to elementary school results. (MNS)

Explores third and sixth grade children's acquisition and analogical transfer of the base of a relatively complex problem. One group at each grade level received two analogs of a scheduling problem; other groups received only one analog or a transfer task. After criterial performance, all children were transferred to an isomorphic analog and…

Previous studies indicate that many early elementary school children have the misconception that whole number subtraction is a commutative operation. The degree and character of this subtraction error was investigated in this longitudinal study. Results obtained from three groups of students with different number abilities provided further…

Presents model of algorithm design (activity in software development) based on analysis of protocols of two subjects designing three convex hull algorithms. Automation methods, methods for studying algorithm design, role of discovery in problem solving, and comparison of different designs of case study according to model are highlighted.…

Discusses the problems of using chronometric analysis, a common cognitive psychological method, for educational assessment. Suggests that cognitive assessment has not reached the precision needed to analyze individual differences. (FMW)

Explores the role of premature cognitive closure in the development of inferential reasoning among 62 children aged 7, 9, and 12 years through two studies. Results indicate that despite a strong tendency to close on single alternatives, most children correctly assigned nonzero probabilities to each of the possible alternatives. (RJC)

Comparison of 2 totally blind, 2 visually impaired, and 9 normally sighted children (ages 5-8) on tasks of visual perspective taking found that the totally blind children were older than the other children when they mastered the tasks, made the highest percentage of errors before mastery, and made different errors. (Author/DB)

The impact of 15 hours of medical decision-making instruction (provided during a clinical preceptorship) on ratings of students' problem solving during subsequent third-year clinical clerkships is reported. Problem-solving ratings were not found to be better for students who had the instruction and clinical experience than for students in the…

This study with 432 college students examined how variables influence the relative performance of groups and individuals on creative problem-solving tasks. Having more ideas available (through a priming manipulation) led to better individual performance. Group performance, however, was enhanced by training appropriate to problem content that…

Models occupy the content core of physics, and modeling is a major process for constructing and employing physics knowledge. A model is characterized by its domain, composition, structure, behavior, and organization. Problem solving is a schematic modeling process consisting of model selection, construction, validation, analysis, and deployment. A…

Despite increased interest in real life problem solving with both children and adults, the question of whether problem solving is related to psychological adjustment remains unanswered. To examine whether college students' self-appraisal of their problem solving skills is related to their psychological adjustment, 671 students took the Problem…

Algebra word problems were analyzed in terms of the information integration tasks that are required to solve the problems. These tasks were classified into three levels: value assignment, value derivation, and equation construction. Novices (35 first year algebra students) and experts (13 analytic geometry students) were compared on the proportion…

Factors affecting persons in need of help have been of great concern to social psychologists. To investigate expressed willingness to seek help, evaluations of help-seekers, and the influence of the Protestant ethic on help seeking, college students completed questionnaires containing descriptions of eight situations in which a person was faced…