Reassesses Tallman's proposition that the optimum family structure for effective problem-solving is one that provides for open communication, centralized authority, and consensus about family roles and goals. Suggests a revised basis for Tallman's view: achieved centrality of organization, obtained when groups structure themselves as part of the…

More children are killed outside their school buses than inside. To solve this problem, we should improve bus design, provide driver training programs for all school bus drivers, utilize the latest safety devices available, and improve ridership safety curriculum. (MLF)

Administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and the Problem Solving Inventory to 20 Black and 32 White inmates. Recidivists scored significantly higher on the impulsive scale of the Problem Solving Inventory. Demonstrated the utility of the MMPI and the PSI in discriminating between nonviolent and violent criminals. (Author/JAC)

Fifth- to seventh-grade students (N=586) who participated in one hour of Rational Emotive Education (a directive approach to teaching rational thinking skills) for six weeks scored higher in posttests of the Com oA Belief Inventory for Students than control Ss (N=738) who received no Rational Emotive Education. Findings suggested the utility of a…

A program for the development of self-direction in gifted students includes checklists, opportunities for divergence from expected outcomes, idea lists, and student record keeping. These and other problem-solving strategies are integrated into academic instruction. (Author/CL)

Suggests our society strongly needs thinking that is constructive, generative, and organizing; describes an educational program, CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust), which teaches creative thinking as a skill; and presents reasons for teaching thinking as a specific subject area. (MBR)

The author identifies and describes what he regards as 25 of the most significant outcomes or products of 25 years of creativity research. Some were selected for the influence they have had on educational practices; others were selected for their potential in making a difference in future educational practice. (JN)

The development and application of a complexity index to 29 clinical problems used in a new graduate curriculum is reported. The index uses five components of problem complexity: symptoms, physical signs and investigations, socioeconomic and behavioral factors, diagnoses, and management plans. (Author/MLW)

Reviews studies of the kinds of play that influence the cognitive development, problem solving, and imagination of children. Adults' roles in children's play are discussed. (CI)

Move sequence analysis revealed that, when presented with problems having subgoals difficult to order, 40 preschoolers between 45 and 70 months of age (1) tended to avoid backup; (2) were sensitive to incremental progress toward a goal; and (3) searched moves ahead for a goal. None of several indices of performance were reliably correlated with…

Field review of four problem-solving software programs (Memory Castle, The Pond, King's Rule, and Puzzle Tanks) are reported. Although the software was generally successful in completing its objectives, some recommendations are made for better adapting them to the needs of learning disabled students. (CL)

Suggests using episodes from the history of mathematics as source material for mathematical investigations, particularly for use in teaching problem solving. Representative examples are included. (JN)

Reviewed research with the Twenty Questions Task aimed at investigating problem solving across the life span. Research indicates use of an efficient problem-solving strategy increases during childhood and then decreases again during the later adult years. Elderly adults' performance was facilitated when the necessity of using an efficient strategy…

In answer to points raised by Dansky (1985) about specific inferences from Simon and Smith's study (1985) and broader issues about a single-session paradigm used in play and problem solving studies, Simon and Smith argue that their study adequately demonstrated how methodological factors in paradigm can swamp the effects of any treatment…

Supports the "functional" view that it is the satisfaction of critical task requirements (or conditions), rather than the discussion procedures that are employed to do so, that actually determines whether a group will arrive at a low- or high-quality decision. (PD)