The problem-solving processes of seven upper-division college students working a series of problems that could be solved by the application of one or more heuristics are described in detail. (MP)

How the author moved from concern about research to development of prescriptive models of heuristic problem solving and the exploration of metacognition and belief systems is discussed. Student beliefs about problem solving, and their corollaries, are included. (MNS)

Some easily graded measures of problem-solving processes are introduced, and the impact of a month-long intensive problem-solving course on a selected group of college freshmen and sophomores is demonstrated. The measures are thought to have shown themselves to be both reliable and informative. (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…

The project consisted of three related series of studies, designed to (a) determine some of the underlying competencies that contribute to experts' successful problem solving performance in college level mathematics, (b) to determine what productive behaviors students lack, or what counterproductive behaviors they have, that keep them from being…

Methodological issues in the use of protocol analysis for research into human problem solving processes are examined through a case study in which two students were videotaped as they worked together to solve mathematical problems "out loud." The students' chosen strategic or executive behavior in examining and solving a problem was…

Reacts to Ohlsson, Ernst, and Rees' paper by initially discussing the costs of methodology that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to model cognitive processes. Raises three concerns with the paper: insufficient clarification of the meaning of conceptual versus procedural understanding of base-10 subtraction; realism of the learning model; and…

The research described here seeks to characterize the "managerial" aspects of expert and novice problem-solving behavior, and to describe the impact of managerial or "executive" actions on success or failure in problem solving. A framework for analyzing protocols of problem-solving sessions based on "episodes" of…

The dimensions of the broad social-cognitive and metacognitive matrix within which pure cognitions reside are examined. Tangible cognitive actions are the cross products of beliefs held about a task, the social environment within which the task takes place, and the problem solvers' perceptions of self and their relation to the task and…