In Experiment 1, students received an illustrated booklet, PowerPoint presentation, or narrated animation that explained 6 steps in how a cold virus infects the human body. The material included 6 high-interest details mainly about the role of viruses in sex or death (high group) or 6 low-interest details consisting of facts and health tips about…

That reflectiveness was directly related to creative problem-solving was tested in two experiments with 58 college students solving induction problems by conventional or unconventional rules. Extremely reflective or extremely impulsive students on conventional problems performed worse on the unconventional problems than did those moderately…

Equation problems elicited a strategy in which the subject attempted to isolate the X variables on one side of the equation, whereas word problems elicited a strategy in which the subject attempted to reduce the expression. These results suggest that problem format influences the type of strategy used to solve algebra problems. (Author/PN)

This chapter examines research on the cognitive processes involved in mathematical problem solving. The introduction includes definitions of key terms and a summary of four cognitive processes used in mathematical problem solving: (1) translating; (2) integrating; (3) planning; and (4) executing. Examples are then provided and exemplary research…

In the pair of experiments reported here the authors investigated the relationship between meaningfulness of problem statements and subjects' use of these statements in problem-solving tasks. Subjects (96 university students) were required to memorize meaningful formulae such as "volume = area x height" or corresponding symbolic formulae such as…

Recent research on human memory and cognition with particular emphasis on research that might have some promise for mathematics education is reviewed. The focus is on techniques for analyzing the mind in two areas: (1) the architecture of the human memory system, using the information processing model; and (2) the content and structure of…

Examines the role of cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational skills in problem solving. Cognitive skills include instructional objectives, components in a learning hierarchy, and information-processing components. Metacognitive skills include strategies for reading comprehension, writing, and mathematics. Motivational skills include motivation…

In four experiments involving 357 undergraduates, students who read expository passages with seductive details (interesting but irrelevant details) recalled fewer main ideas and generated fewer problem-solving transfer solutions than those who read passages without seductive details. Results suggest that seductive details may prime inappropriate…

The development of a theory of algebraic problem solving is discussed. The domain of the investigation is restricted to single sentence word problems. There were three experiments, the first involving 42 college students from the University of California, Santa Barbara. These subjects were divided into two groups, half in an equation group and…

The time may be ripe for the fields of mathematics education, special education, and cognitive psychology to converge, with their respective focuses on mathematical problem solving, individual differences among students, and analysis of cognitive processes. Four articles on learning disabilities in mathematics are introduced, and a research agenda…

In Experiments 1 and 2 subjects read a series of standard algebra story problems, and were asked to recall each problem. In Experiment 3, subjects were asked to construct problems based on certain situations (such as "train leaving stations"). Results indicated that "relational propositions" (such as "the rate in still…

Ninety-two subjects solved a series of problems without enough time to finish and worked at a pace and in an order determined by the experimenter (Experimenter- Paced) or at their own pace and order under self-administered time deadlines (Self-Paced). Self-pacing resulted in superior performance on rote and poorer performance on cognitive problems…

This review of 20 studies examines 3 predictions concerning the effects of conceptual models on students' understanding of scientific prose: (1) that models improve recall of conceptual information; (2) that they decrease verbatim retention; and (3) that they increase creative solutions on transfer problems. (SLD)