In three experiments, differences in EEG alpha activity between 30 gifted and 30 average individuals were studied. Results support the hypothesis that higher alpha power during information processing displayed by gifted individuals may derive from the nonuse of many brain areas not required for the problem at hand. (SLD)

Discusses individual thinking styles, their influence on problem solving techniques, and implications for trainers and consultants. A four-step thinking cycle is explained, five basic styles of individual thinking are defined, and examples are given using the field of human resources and development. (LRW)

Analyzes the great diversity in problem-solving strategies used by students in solving a chemistry problem and discusses the relationship between these variables and different cognitive variables. Concludes that students try to circumvent certain problem-solving strategies by adapting flexible and stylistic innovations that render the cognitive…

The present research examined the processes of schema formation in problem solving. In 4 experiments, participants experienced a series of tasks analogous to A. S. Luchins' (1942) water jar problems before attempting to solve isomorphic target problems. Juxtaposing illustrative source instances varying in procedural features along multiple…

Principals are increasingly expected to be the instructional as well as administrative leaders of their schools. However, little is known about how principals reason through the instructional issues that they face. An analysis of principal reasoning in instructional contexts is critical. The study presented in this article draws on interviews with…

This article provides the rationale for using Fermi questions with eighth graders studying algebra. It describes the students' reaction to such questions as well as their thinking processes and solutions to questions posed to them by their teacher. (Contains 1 figure.)

A cross-curricular structured-probe task-based clinical interview study with 44 pairs of third-year high-school mathematics students, most of whom were high achieving, was conducted to investigate their approaches to a variety of algebra problems. This paper presents results from one problem that involved solving a set of three linear equations of…

In this article, the author presents five problems that are representative of some of the "movie problems" that he has used on tests in various courses, including reactor design, heat transfer, mass transfer, engineering economics, and fluid mechanics. These problems tend to be open-ended. They can be challenging and can often be worked a variety…

Describes the sequences of Geneva middle-class school children in a block balancing task. It attempts to pave the way towards understanding the general processes of cognitive behavior. Analysis focuses on the interplay between the child's action sequences and his implicit theories which the observer infers from the sequences rather than from his…

The basic problem under investigation was the determination of empirical relationships between two models, developed by Piaget and Loyola University and employed in the assessment of cognitive processes in a problem solving context. Among objectives explored were: (1) investigation of the sensitivity of the intelligence test in distinguishing…

When mathematics is used to help people cope with real-life situations, a three-stage intellectual process is involved. An operational instrument for assessing how a person moves from the first to the second and third stage is proposed. (Author)

The effects of memory load (simultaneous or successive presentation), number of trials (two or three), and type of information (positive, negative, or mixed) upon inference task performance of 168 five-year-old children were examined. (Author/JH)