Schema Induction in Problem Solving: A Multidimensional Analysis.

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 dimensions promoted the construction of a general schema that facilitated solving an isomorphic problem requiring a novel procedure. Exposure to less variant problems led to faster initial learning, but narrower and fixed schemas (mental set), whereas exposure to variant procedures led to slower initial learning, but broader and more flexible schemas. The findings support the dimensional specificity hypothesis: Generalization along 1 dimension facilitates transfer to a target problem differing from the source problems in that dimension. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of single and multiple strategy instruction on third-grade students' mathematical problem solving.

The purposes of this study were to assess the differential effects of a single strategy (schema-based instruction; SBI) versus multiple strategies (general strategy instruction, GSI) in promoting mathematical problem solving and mathematics achievement as well as to examine the influence of word problem-solving instruction on the development of computational skills. Eighty-eight 3rd graders and their teachers were assigned randomly to conditions (SBI and GSI). Students were pre- and posttested on mathematical problem-solving and computation tests and were posttested on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Mathematics test, a criterion-referenced test that measures student attainment of academic standards. Results revealed SBI to be more effective than GSI in enhancing students' mathematical word problem-solving skills at posttest and maintenance. Further, results indicate that the SBI groups' performance exceeded that of the GSI group on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment measure. On the computation test, both groups made gains over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More on the Fragility of Performance: Choking Under Pressure in Mathematical Problem Solving.

In 3 experiments, the authors examined mathematical problem solving performance under pressure. In Experiment 1, pressure harmed performance on only unpracticed problems with heavy working memory demands. In Experiment 2, such high-demand problems were practiced until their answers were directly retrieved from memory. This eliminated choking under pressure. Experiment 3 dissociated practice on particular problems from practice on the solution algorithm by imposing a high-pressure test on problems practiced 1, 2, or 50 times each. Infrequently practiced high-demand problems were still performed poorly under pressure, whereas problems practiced 50 times each were not. These findings support distraction theories of choking in math, which contrasts with considerable evidence for explicit monitoring theories of choking in sensorimotor skills. This contrast suggests a skill taxonomy based on real-time control structures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Relationship Between Working Memory and Mathematical Problem Solving in Children at Risk and Not at Risk for Serious Math Difficulties.

This study identified cognitive processes that underlie individual differences in working memory (WM) and mathematical problem-solution accuracy in elementary school children at risk and not at risk for serious math difficulties (SMD). A battery of tests was administered that assessed problem solving, achievement, and cognitive processing in children in first (N = 130), second (N = 92) and third grades (N = 131). The results were that (a) younger children and children at risk for SMD performed poorer on WM and problem-solving tasks, as well as measures of math calculation, reading, semantic processing, phonological processing, and inhibition, than older children and children not at risk for SMD and (b) WM predicted solution accuracy of word problems independent of measures of fluid intelligence, reading skill, math skill, knowledge of algorithms, phonological processing, semantic processing,'speed, shortterm memory, and inhibition. The results support the notion that the executive system is an important predictor of children's problem solving. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping With Intergenerational Family Conflict Among Asian American College Students.

Two coping strategies--problem solving and social support seeking--were hypothesized to differentially moderate the effects of intergenerational family conflict on well-being and adjustment in a college sample of 117 Asian American young adult children. Results indicated that social support served as a protective-stabilizing factor that buffered the effects of family conflict on positive affect and somatic distress. Problem-solving coping served as a protective-reactive factor that had a positive effect on positive affect when family conflict was low and a negative effect when family conflict was high. The potential implications of these findings for counseling and conducting research on Asian American college students are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Explicitly teaching for transfer: Effects on third-grade students' mathematical problem solving.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of explicitly teaching for transfer by (a) broadening the categories by which students group problems requiring the same solution methods and (b) prompting students to search novel problems for these broad categories. This transfer treatment was combined with instruction on solution methods. The effectiveness of a combined treatment (transfer-plus-solution instruction) was contrasted to solution instruction alone and to teacher-designed instruction. Twenty-four 3rd-grade teachers, with 375 students, were assigned randomly to conditions. Treatments were conducted for 16 weeks. Improvement on immediate- and near-transfer measures supported the utility of solution instruction. Improvement on near- and far-transfer measures revealed the added contribution of explicitly teaching for transfer. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instruction by mothers and fathers during problem solving with their young children.

Mothers and fathers of 163 5-year-olds were observed interacting with their children in dyads on 2 separate occasions on a familiar and unfamiliar cognitive activity. Within- and between-family comparisons were conducted. Few differences in the instruction provided by mothers and fathers appeared, and those that did were on the unfamiliar task. On this task, instruction by mothers, within and across families, was more responsive to children's changing skill than was instruction by fathers. Directive and disapproving comments by parents were related to poorer posttest performance by the child. High level of instruction by both parents was related to better posttest performance than was low level of instruction by parents. Contributions of parents to their children's cognitive development are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing third-grade student' mathematical problem solving with self-regulated learning strategies.

The authors assessed the contribution of self-regulated learning strategies (SRL), when combined with problem-solving transfer instruction (L. S. Fuchs et al., 2003), on 3rd-graders' mathematical problem solving. SRL incorporated goal setting and self-evaluation. Problem-solving transfer instruction taught problem-solution methods, the meaning of transfer, and 4 superficial-problem features that change a problem without altering its type or solution; it also prompted metacognitive awareness to transfer. The authors contrasted the effectiveness of transfer plus SRL to the transfer treatment alone and to teacher-designed instruction. Twenty-four 3rd-grade teachers, with 395 students, were assigned randomly to conditions. Treatments were conducted for 16 weeks. Students were pre- and posttested on problem-solving tests and responded to a posttreatment questionnaire tapping self-regulation processes. SRL positively affected performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationships Among Health Factors and Everyday Problem Solving in African Americans.

This study examined whether measures of health status enhance the prediction of performance on everyday problem solving in adult African Americans. The sample consisted of 209 community-dwelling African American adults with a mean age of 66.82 years (SD=7.95). The following variables were included in the analysis: Everyday Problems Test (EPT), summary index of chronic illnesses (cardiovascular disease, hypertension, arthritis, stroke, and diabetes), self-rated health (current health, health in the past month, health compared with others, health compared with 5 years ago), and demographic information. Using hierarchical regression and follow-up communality analysis, the authors found that the number of chronic illnesses and self-rated health as compared with 5 years prior were significant and unique predictors of performance on the EPT but did not account for all of the demographic-related variance. The results indicate that health indices contribute to the variability in everyday cognition in this understudied population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Passion for the Game: Problem Gambling and Passion Among University Students.

The present study was conducted to examine passion for gambling and its relation to problem gambling in a nonclinical sample of university student gamblers. University students (N = 162) who gambled a minimum of twice monthly completed a brief demographics questionnaire, the South Oaks Gambling Screen, and the Gambling Passion Scale. It was found that problem gamblers reported greater obsessive and harmonious passion for gambling but only obsessive passion was correlated with the severity of problem gambling behaviour. The results supported the utility of the GPS as a research tool to explore problem gambling in a university student sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of Collaborative Problem Solving in Affectively Dysregulated Children With Oppositional-Defiant Disorder: Initial Findings.

Oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) refers to a recurrent pattern of negativistic, defiant, disobedient, and hostile behavior toward authority figures. Research has shown that children with ODD and comorbid mood disorders may be at particular risk for long-term adverse outcomes, including conduct disorder. In this study, the authors examined the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral model of intervention--called collaborative problem solving (CPS)--in comparison with parent training (PT) in 47 affectively dysregulated children with ODD. Results indicate that CPS produced significant improvements across multiple domains of functioning at posttreatment and at 4-month follow-up. These improvements were in all instances equivalent, and in many instances superior, to the improvements produced by PT. Implications of these findings for further research on and treatment selection in children with ODD are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Problem Solving Deteriorates Following Mood Challenge in Formerly Depressed Patients With a History of Suicidal Ideation.

The authors divided 34 participants who had a history of depression into 2 groups, those having previous suicidal ideation or behavior (n = 19) and those having no such symptoms (n = 15), then compared the 2 groups with a group of participants who had no history of depression (n = 22). Assessment of interpersonal problem-solving performance using the Means-Ends Problem-Solving (MEPS) task before and after a mood-induction procedure showed that only those formerly depressed people with a history of suicidal ideation shifted in MEPS performance, producing significantly less effective problem solutions following mood challenge, consistent with a differential activation account of vulnerability for recurrence of suicidal ideation and behavior. The deterioration in effectiveness following mood challenge was moderated by lack of specificity in autobiographical memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intergenerational Family Conflict and Coping Among Hmong American College Students.

Problem solving and social support, as different styles of coping with intergenerational family conflict, were examined among 86 Hmong American college students. Problem solving and social support were hypothesized to differentially moderate the effects of family conflict on psychological adjustment. Furthermore, the effects of attributions of blame on the adjustment of Hmong American college students were examined. Results indicate that social support buffered and problem solving enhanced the negative effects of family conflict on symptoms of distress but not on affect. Additionally, there were significant interaction effects between family conflict and self-blame on distress. Specifically, students who were more likely to blame themselves reported higher levels of distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychological Status and Social Problem Solving in Children With Congenital or Acquired Brain Dysfunction.

Objective: To describe the associations between neuropsychological variables and social problem-solving skills in children with congenital versus acquired brain dysfunction. Participants: Twenty-two children and adolescents with cerebral palsy or myelomeningocele (developmental condition, or DC) and 22 with history of traumatic brain injury (TBI), ages 7-12 years, IQ>70. Measures: Social Problem-Solving Measure (SPSM), Video Cues and Consequences (VCC), and brief motor-free neuropsychological assessment. Results: The DC group generated significantly fewer solutions to hypothetical problematic social scenarios than the TBI group, but differences in the relative frequencies of solution types were minimal. The pattern of associations between neuropsychological and social problem-solving variables differed between groups. Conclusions: Neuropsychological status may contribute to development and expression of aspects of social skills, but there may be subtle differences in the nature of that contribution in children with congenital versus acquired brain lesions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mathematical competencies in children with different types of learning difficulties.

The mathematical performance of 182 third and fourth graders in 8 different areas of mathematics was examined. The children belonged to 4 achievement groups: children with mathematic difficulties (MD only), children with both mathematic and reading difficulties (MD-RD), children with reading difficulties (RD only), and normally achieving children (control group). Both MD groups performed worse than the normally achieving children in all but 1 area, place value knowledge. The MD-only and the MD-RD children performed equally in all areas of mathematics. The RD-only group performed at the same level as the control group on all areas of mathematics. The study provides further evidence that fact retrieval deficits are a cardinal characteristic of children with MD. The MD children's substantial difficulties with mathematic word problem solving can be attributed to several processes involved in problem solving. Besides poor skills in multidigit calculation, arithmetic fact retrieval, and poor understanding of calculation principles, children with MD might have deficits related to specific problem-solving processes such as establishing a problem representation and developing a solution plan. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instruction begins in the home: Relations between parental instruction and children's self-regulation in the classroom.

The study examined the effectiveness of 3 aspects of parental instruction for predicting children's self-regulation in school. Fathers, mothers, and their children (52 families) were visited in their homes the summer before the child entered 3rd grade. Metacognitive content (task and strategy information), manner of instruction (small steps at an appropriate pace), and emotional support were coded from parents' instructions to their children for a problem-solving task. Children's self-regulatory behaviors in the classroom were assessed the following school year. Two patterns of relations were observed. Manner of instruction predicted children's attention to instructions and help-seeking in the classroom. Metacognitive content of instructions did not predict these aspects of self-regulation. In contrast, metacognitive content of instructions presented in an understandable manner with emotional support predicted children's monitoring and metacognitive talk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preventing adolescent depression: An evaluation of the Problem Solving For Life program.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Problem Solving For Life program as a universal approach to the prevention of adolescent depression. Short-term results indicated that participants with initially elevated depressions scores (high risk) who received the intervention showed a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms and increase in life problem-solving scores from pre- to postintervention compared with a high-risk control group. Low-risk participants who received the intervention reported a small but significant decrease in depression scores over the intervention period, whereas the low-risk controls reported an increase in depression scores. The low-risk group reported a significantly greater increase in problem-solving scores over the intervention period compared with low-risk controls. These results were not maintained, however, at 12-month follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating the Readiness of Pre-Referral Intervention Teams for Use in a Problem Solving Model.

Scholars have suggested that school psychologists should implement a problem solving approach to practice (Reschly & Ysseldyke, 2002). Pre-referral intervention teams (PITs) are a frequently used model in education and are a preferred service option among school psychologists. Thus, the PIT model could be expanded to more effectively function within a problem solving approach, but research is needed to examine the use of PITs in this format. Ellis (2001) suggested that educational innovations require research that demonstrates sound theoretical basis, proven effectiveness, and consistent widespread implementation. The current article reviewed research and concluded that the PIT model was developed from a solid theoretic base and data exist to support its effectiveness. However, consistent implementation has not been achieved and remains a significant barrier to moving toward a problem solving approach. Research is needed regarding team format, assignment of staff, training, and treatment fidelity to better assure consistency through recommendations for practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' flexibility in solving two-digit addition and subtraction problems: Instruction effects.

This study examined the effects of conceptually based instruction on the development of students' procedural flexibility. Students from 10 2nd-grade classes (206 students) in 9 primary schools in the Netherlands participated in 1 of 2 different instruction programs: the Realistic Program Design (RPD) or the Gradual Program Design (GPD). The RPD teaches conceptual understanding along with procedural skills. The GPD emphasizes the acquisition of standard procedures. Students' use of and preference for procedures were assessed as well as their ability to solve problems in 2 different ways. The RPD led to a higher level of flexibility than did the GPD on all 3 measures, suggesting that the RPD was better in teaching the students conceptual knowledge. In both programs, conceptual understanding seemed to precede procedural skill. However, skill and understanding were closer related in the RPD than in the GPD group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of Motivational Cues on Perceptual Asymmetry: Implications for Creativity and Analytical Problem Solving.

In 4 experiments, participants were led to focus on either the prospect of positive outcomes (approach anticipation) or the prospect of negative outcomes (avoidance anticipation) and were subsequently administered behavioral measures of relative hemispheric activation. It was found that approach, relative to avoidance-related anticipatory states, produced greater relative right (diminished relative left) hemispheric activation. Experiment 3 additionally demonstrated that this pattern of activation was reversed when approach and avoidance states were not merely anticipatory but were also emotionally arousing. Finally, Experiment 4 replicated earlier findings demonstrating an influence of approach and avoidance anticipatory states on creativity and analytical problem solving (R. S. Friedman & J. F?rster, 2001, 2003) and provided evidence that such effects are mediated by differences in relative hemispheric activation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)