The role of top-down control in divergent creativity remains heavily debated. An outstanding question about the state dynamics of creativity concerns acute shifts between heightened and lowered creative states. Particularly, do transitions between creative states incur a "switch cost" as observed in other domains of cognition? Prior…

In "Thinking, Fast and Slow" (2011) Kahneman describes two modes of thinking: System 1 and 2. System 1 operates quickly, automatically, and unconsciously, drawing on our vast reservoir of stored knowledge to decide what should or should not be done in any situation. System 2 is a slower, more deliberate process, requiring us to step back…

Stimuli conditioned with a substance can generate drug-approach behaviors due to their acquired motivational properties. According to implicit theories of addiction, these stimuli can decrease cognitive control automatically. The present study (n = 49) examined whether reward-associated stimuli can interfere with cognitive processes in the absence…

In one of the first open diffusion experiments with young children, a tool-use task that afforded multiple methods to extract an enclosed reward and a child model habitually using one of these methods were introduced into different playgroups. Eighty-eight children, ranging in age from 2 years 8 months to 4 years 5 months, participated. Measures…

"Threshold concepts" are concepts that, among other things, transform the way a student looks at a discipline. Although the term "threshold" might suggest that the transformation occurs at a specific point in time, an "aha" moment, it seems more common (at least in computing) that a longer time period is required.…

This report presents research concerned with two information-processing constructs, "cognitive strategies" and "cognitive styles." Study one analyzes thinking-aloud protocols obtained from a female undergraduate doing anagram problems. Several major strategies are described, along with basic "Operators" subject used to construct and modify…

Difficulties facing learning disabled (LD) students in problem solving are reviewed and an approach is proposed to help them make better use of the learning strategies available to them. A cognitive learning style approach to LD students is introduced, followed by an analysis of problem solving and the stages of information processing (attention,…

John B. Carroll's Model of School Learning is a paradigm which describes the degree of learning that takes place in school setting as a function of the time spent on a learning task divided by the time needed for its mastery. The components of opportunity and perseverance in Carroll's model have particular relevance to a form of school…

This paper presents a general framework for the process of answering questions from memory. The focus is primarily on verification and recognition tasks. Six experiments support the assumptions of the proposed framework. The experiments are designed to address the following categories of inquiry: (1) Can we adjust our strategy preference to mirror…

This study investigated the effects of instruction in reflective thinking upon impulsive fourth grade students and the transfer effects of this instruction on a classroom social studies test. Thirty impulsive subjects from a white, low socio-economic area school were identified. Treatment and impulsivity were examined as they influenced…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: use of word information cues by beginning readers; the relationship between problem solving and oral reading strategies; the ease with which children learn…