This paper builds on two concepts, the first of which is the extended information processing model of expert design cognition. This proposes twelve internal psychological characteristics interacting with the external world of expert designers during the early phases of the design process. Here, I explore one of the characteristics, hierarchical…

In his 1979 "Human Development" article reprinted in this anniversary issue, James Wertsch presented an approach to genetic analysis of the shifting regulation of problem-solving behavior in early childhood. In my reflections on Wertsch's seminal contribution, I discuss ways that subsequent inquiry built upon ideas he elaborated in the…

This paper offers an extension of Graham Wallas' model of the creative process. It identifies periods of problem solving, incubation, and growth with specific points of initial idea inception, creative frustration, and illumination. Responses to creative frustration are described including denial, rationalization, acceptance of stagnation, and new…

Examines principles governing the identification of a system of parameters for accurately describing student thought processes and discusses the parametric analysis of such thought processes, taking as an example problem-solving directed towards the explanation of physical phenomena. A 25-item reference list is included. (Author/JL)

Eight psychometric instruments were administered to 10 elite male Portuguese orienteers. The cognitive process involved in decision making did not differ between the best orienteers and the others. This group of athletes had a high capacity for work realization and a strong need to be in control of interpersonal situations. (Author/SV)

The literary field offers an especially rich array of examples of the insight phenomenon and demonstrates that insight experiences occur outside the problem-solving paradigm of cognitive science. Analysis shows that the seemingly unitary moment of insight is actually a microgenetic sequence (a rapid sequence of developmental change) deeply…

Presents evidence that the psychological principles that govern the perception of decision problems and evaluation of probabilities and outcomes produce predictable shifts of preference when the same problem is framed in different ways. (Author/SK)

This article compares research findings on heightened cognitive flexibility in academically gifted children and similar flexibility in social intelligence. It proposes that social-cognitive flexibility (the ability to adapt prior social knowledge to formulate solutions to new interpersonal situations) is an important component of social…

The papers contained in this document were originally presented at the May 1978 conference on Modeling Mathematical Cognitive Development sponsored by the Models of Learning Mathematics Working Group of the Georgia Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Mathematics. Most have been revised to reflect comments and suggestions made at the…

Five experiments are reported which relate to sex-role identification in problem solving. Instruments used on high school and college students include a booklet of 20 problems that had illustrated sex differences during an earlier study, the Terman-Miles M-F Test to measure sex-role identification, an open-ended personal history questionnaire and…

Systematic investigations have verified the existence of a number of behavioral manifestations of the "Type A" behavior pattern. For example, brief exposure to salient uncontrollable stress has led to enhanced performance by Type A's on a subsequent task, whereas prolonged exposure has lead to performance deterioration. The ongoing experiences of…

Examined a model of suicide behavior in college-aged suicide ideators. Results indicate that college-student suicide ideators are under higher levels of negative life stress, are more hopeless, and have higher levels of depression. Poor problem-solvers under high stress were higher on suicide intent than other groups. (Author)

A model of the inquiry process based on John Dewey's concept of inquiry was used to develop a means of observing and scoring individual inquiry behavior. The Teacher's Inbasket, a simulation of problems crossing a teacher's desk in a simulated school setting, was developed for the study. Fifty-one female elementary education majors were selected…