This study investigated the problem representations formed by college students while solving mathematics problems. Problem representation characteristics indicative of understanding were identified by analyzing audio-tapes and written work of sixteen subjects, ages 16 to 24, who solved mathematics problems using the think-aloud technique. These…

This report describes the cognitive procedures which a group of Australian stipendiary utilize in court to make decisions. The study was based on an assumption that magistrates represent a group of professionals whose work involves making decisions of human significance, and on an assumption that the magistrates' own perceptions of their ways of…

The SPADE theory, which uses linguistic formalisms to model the planning and debugging processes of computer programming, was simultaneously developed and tested in three separate contexts--computer uses in education, automatic programming (a traditional artificial intelligence arena), and protocol analysis (the domain of information processing…

KINDS OF ERRORS, AND THEIR VALUE TO HELP TEACHERS KNOW AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT HOW THEIR STUDENTS' MINDS WORK, ARE DISCUSSED. THE TERM "ERROR" IS USED TO REFER TO MISTAKES IN THE PROCESS OF REASONING RATHER THAN TO INCORRECT OUTCOMES OF REASONING. THE AUTHORS STATE, "CORRECT OUTCOMES MAY OR MAY NOT FOLLOW UPON ERRORS (OR MISTAKEN…

This research is part of a series of studies, in which the long term objective is to use computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to teach students how to solve nonroutine problems, i.e., problems in which the problem solvers must generate their own strategies. The subjects were 93 first and third graders who tried to solve a novel reasoning problem on…

The effects of meaningfulness of the stimulus materials and the presence or absence of contextual cues on problem-solving behavior were investigated. Third-graders (N=80) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions and their performance in a series of discrimination problems was observed. Subjects in Conditions I and II responded to stimuli…

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…

A set of computer programs and data files have been designed to provide a simulated experience with patient-diagnosis problems for medical students. The programs, called CAPS (Computer Assisted Patient Simulation), aims to provide opportunities for making diagnoses and decisions; develop problem-solving skills; expand knowledge of specific disease…

This paper examines the application of different planning models to the new product development process. Various models are discussed in relation to the four principal stages of the process: product search, project development, market structure analysis, and investment analysis. The authors emphasize that all useful planning models must address a…

This report presents the results of research that examined widely diverse decision problems and attempted to specify their common behavior elements. To take into account the psychological complexity of most real-life decision problems, and to develop a tentative organization of decision behavior that will embrace the many, highly diverse types of…

The goal of problem-solving education should be to develop tools for thinking that will constitute a shell or framework of action procedures that can be applied on an ever-changing database. These tools come in the form of heuristics that can be modified and adapted to new situations. (Author/MLW)

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)

Outlines an expanded framework of the Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) approach to career problem solving and decision making for career counseling with women. Addresses structural and individual barriers in women's career development and provides practical suggestions for applying and evaluating the CIP approach in career counseling.…

An experimental context designed to directly affect discourse processing by inducing subjects to generate inferences involving text content was compared to a context in which subjects simply listened to and recalled the content of a text. Context did effect the amount of inferred and overgeneralized semantic information in subjects' text recalls.…