The authors outline Piaget's "mountain task" which measured egocentrism and perspective taking in young children, then present three studies of the same construct which used a different task, the "hiding game." These studies indicated much less egocentrism in young children than Piaget found. These differences are discussed.…

Aspects of daydreaming and associated mental activity were examined for sex differences in well-educated middle class Whites aged 17 to 92 years. Females reported daydreams of a problem solving nature, and lower levels of daydreams of a sexual, bizarre-improbable, heroic and achievement-oriented nature. Daydreaming contents decreased with age.…

Reviews recent progress in modeling human cognition, in particular the use of computers in generating models. Topics covered include the information processing approach to cognition, problem solving, semantic memory, pattern induction, and learning and cognitive development. A 164-item reference list is attached. (JL)

Poor performance on the search task, which differentiated the clinical groups from the normal group but not from one another, was associated across groups with adverse conduct ratings, lower achievement, and lower scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) Arithmetic, Coding, Information, Digit Span (ACID) subtests. (Author)

The cognitive method, an algorithmic method for transforming verbal word problems into equations, equation systems, inequalities, etc., is presented and discussed. The psychological and mathematical aspects of the cognitive method are also reviewed. (MP)

Four experiments compared three alternative models of linear syllogistic reasoning: (1) linguistic; (2) spatial; and (3) mixed linguistic-spatial. The mixed model, indicating the importance of both verbal and spatial ability, was supported by all four experiments, and for about three-fourths of the undergraduate students studied. (Author/GDC)

The process and history of the development of artificial intelligence is reviewed. Important achievements are noted. Limitations to possible breakthroughs in this field are noted from philosophers and mathematical logicians. (MP)

Describes a study that attempted to replicate earlier findings about how people develop understanding of and solutions to public policy issues, while testing additional hypotheses. Notes that people who think the most about environmental issues generally develop the most logical definitions of the problems and the most workable solutions. (GT)

Describes a mass media course with the decision-making process at its center. The course uses a set of problem modules, each broken down into a sequence of integrated steps. (JMF)

Creative thinking and problem solving processes were studied in 233 gifted elementary students. (Author/DLS)

Reports on research and educational findings using the Inventory of Cognitive Biases in Medicine (ICBM). The ICBM was administered to medical students as well as practicing physicians and susceptibility to cognitive bias was found to be substantial among both groups. Concludes that educational strategies in the classroom and clinical settings may…

Analyzed conceptual and linguistic complexities of matching situation word problems. Found a four-level progression in conceptualizing and solving these problems: Relational ("who had more/less" but not "how much more/less"); Language Cue (equalizing or compare language); Understand Matching Situations (difference between two…

A review of research and theory on cognitive processes and their relationship to instructional technique since the early 1970s looks at the contributions of schema theory and artificial intelligence and their instructional implications, including cognitive load theory, worked examples for learning problem solving, and physical vs. mental…

Reviews evidence that children use diverse cognitive strategies; discusses the adaptive value of using diverse strategies; describes models of strategy choice based on rational calculations; and presents an overview of the distributions of associations model of children's strategy choice. (RH)