Testing (having students recall material) and worked examples (having students study a completed problem) are both recommended as effective methods for improving learning. The two strategies rely on different underlying cognitive processes and thus may strengthen different types of learning in different ways. Across three experiments, we examine…

The use of manipulatives to teach mathematics is often prescribed as an efficacious teaching strategy. To examine the empirical evidence regarding the use of manipulatives during mathematics instruction, we conducted a systematic search of the literature. This search identified 55 studies that compared instruction with manipulatives to a control…

This study addressed predictors of the development of word problem solving (WPS) across the intermediate grades. At beginning of 3rd grade, 4 cohorts of students (N = 261) were measured on computation, language, nonverbal reasoning skills, and attentive behavior and were assessed 4 times from beginning of 3rd through end of 5th grade on 2 measures…

The basic finding of this study was that two cooperating, discussing individuals were more effective on a concept attainment task that either two cooperating individuals not allowed discussion or two competing individuals. (EH)

This study investigated whether good novice problem solvers have their knowledge arranged around problem types to a greater extent than poor problem solvers have. Twelve problem types (see appendix) were distinguished according to underlying physics principles and 65 knowledge elements were printed on cards for university students to sort.…

High state-anxious subjects solved fewer problems than middle or low state-anxious subjects under no memory-aid conditions, and all anxiety groups performed comparably with memory aids. High state-anxious subjects tended to use less focusing strategy when memory aids were unavailable. (Author/CP)

Two experiments, one measuring eye fixations of 38 undergraduates and the other assessing memory of 37 undergraduates, provide evidence that unsuccessful problem solvers are more likely to comprehend by direct translation and that successful word problem solvers are more likely to build a problem model. (SLD)

In 3 experiments, 93, 97, and 86 college students, respectively, learned how to solve 20 verbal analogy problems and took transfer and memory tests. Results are inconsistent with active responding theory and further indicate that schema induction is maximized when the schemas are made salient and the cognitive system is not overloaded. (SLD)

Cognitive load theory was explored in 3 conditions among 96 third graders in nonisomorphic analogical transfer (problems do not have identical structures, constraints, and problem spaces). Conditions under which children best adjust the base to the target are discussed, and implications for transfer are reviewed. (SLD)

The effects of text-provided aids on readers' understanding of scientific passages are discussed. Two techniques are pretraining on definitions and signaling. In the experiments, subjects read a scientific passage with either definitions pretraining, signaling, both, or neither. Results indicated these techniques helped readers build mental models…

Results suggest that a significant proportion of observed race differences on some performance tasks may be attributable to a failure of many blacks to use spontaneously an efficient verbal strategy rather than a genetic reasoning deficit. (Author/DEP)

This study identified cognitive processes that underlie individual differences in working memory (WM) and mathematical problem-solution accuracy in elementary school children at risk and not at risk for serious math difficulties (SMD). A battery of tests was administered that assessed problem solving, achievement, and cognitive processing in…

The question of memory-based processing when transfer is delayed was addressed for 181 college students in a transfer-for-training paradigm. Results indicate that the use of a general and a specific schema for retrieval when memory-based processing is required to demonstrate transfer in a problem domain. (SLD)