The paper reviews the origins and applications of cognitive behavior modification (CBM), an approach involving exceptional students in their own behavior change. Contributions to CBM are traced from behavior modification, cognitive psychology, and instructional theory and research. Applications (training self-instruction and problem solving) are…

As calculators and computer use increases in mathematics education, more educators are recognizing a shift in emphasis from computation to problem solving. Ways to generate problems that can be used to develop pupil creativity and insight are suggested, and process-oriented instruction is promoted. (MP)

Tested a sample of college students to determine the validity of Ellis' contention that irrational beliefs: (1) are held dogmatically and (2) interfere with logical inference making. Found greater endorsement of irrational beliefs on the Irrational Belief Scale associated with (1) greater dogmatism and (2) less critical inference making.…

Ss were administered Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM), traditional Piagetian measures of conservation of number and mass, modification Piagetian tasks, and the Sequential Assessment Mathematics Inventory. Among findings was that creative thinking ability, as assessed by the TCAM, significantly predicts cognitive performances that…

This study, written in French, presents the hierarchy of strategies used by children in solving multiplication and division problems, as they acquire the linear function concept. It is based on analysis of the different classes of problems, of specific tasks, and of strategies actually used in solutions. (MP)

Portions of interviews with children who are engaged in a problem solving activity are presented. The problem used is an "eel question" taken from the work of Piaget. The verbal responses of children are seen as a part of effective teaching, and this method of assessment is encouraged. (MP)

Experts' perceptions of mathematical problem structures were compared with students' perceptions before and after a course on mathematical problem solving. After the course the students perceived problem relatedness more like the experts, indicating that criteria for problem perception shift as a person's knowledge bases become more richly…

Investigates common problem-solving strategies of sixth-grade students (N=25) identified by their teachers as having superior abilities in problem solving. Audiotaped interview problem-solving sessions recorded behaviors of individual students. Conclusions are that superior problem solvers share common strategies for different types of problems.…

Social-matching problems were verbally presented to children either with or without concrete models. In each condition, information was provided which was sufficient, superfluous, or irrelevant. Problems containing only irrelevant information were the most difficult, although models enhanced the performance of younger children but depressed the…

Many science curriculum development projects have the goal of increasing students' ability to employ scientific or formal reasoning strategies. Argues that longitudinal data of students who acquired formal reasoning strategies as a consequence of specific instruction are needed to provide evidence that these skills will help in other academic…

A model of memory developed by information processing psychologists is described, illustrating how such a model could be used to guide science education research on learning and problem solving. (Author/SK)

Presents a study of the influence of an investigative skills environmental education program upon the problem identification skills of junior high students. Members of the experimental group (N=43) consistently outperformed students in a general science course (N=40) on measures of skills in problem identification. (Author/WB)

The article examines the reflective versus the impulsive cognitive styles and the implications of these styles for special education teachers. (PHR)

The author reviews the contributions of the previous authors (EC 124 952-960) who emphasized self-instruction, self-assessment, and the more complex problem solving cognitive skills in teaching exceptional children. (PHR)

Results of mathematics education research in problem solving activities of third-grade children are covered. The assumption that the horizontal number sentence is a useful tool for solving verbal problems is questioned. (MP)