Success and failure were experimentally induced by means of a puzzle task, and subjects were then required to perform two dependent tasks from which outerdirectedness was inferred. Results supported the hypothesis that children shift from an outerdirected to an interdirected problem-solving style as age increases. (Author)

The contributions made by including probability theory in the primary grade curriculum are examined with respect to the day to day living of the developing child and his preparation for later life. In particular, language and decision making, misconceptions, research and systematic thinking, occupations, and the future are discussed. (MN)

Among ways suggested for teaching problem solving strategies are to select problem situations appropriate to the learner and to encourage learning from errors. A problem solving process which can be used with young children includes the components of formulation; interpretation; generation; decision making; implementation; evaluation; and…

The main purpose of the study was to ascertain whether the use of cost-benefit analysis by children tends to be age-related, a function of instructional mediation, both, or neither. The subjects included 220 first, second, third, and fourth graders ranging in age from six to nine years. One hundred and fourteen subjects were assigned to the…

In a study of the use of baserates and the representativeness heuristic, children and college students made judgments about scenarios that varied by domain and information provided. The use of baserates and heuristic, and the consistency between subjects' choices and rationales, increased with age. Use of individuating information developed early.…

Pairs of elementary school children at different concept development levels were given problems to discuss, in order to examine the prediction, derived from the equilibration model, that when two children holding different beliefs must arrive at a consenus, the child possessing the higher level of cognitive development will prevail over the child…

Reported is a study to investigate the effects of a free-choice program on children's ability to interpret experiments, design simple investigations, and recognize variables that could affect the outcome of observed events. (Author/SA)

Examined children's use of the representativeness heuristic with two types of decision problems adapted from research with adults--standard representativeness problems and conjunction fallacy problems. Findings on both problems indicate the use of decision heuristics in the early grade-school years, and suggests these should be the years for…

The decision making processes of children in a probabilistic environment were studied within the context of the theory of signal detection (TSD). The relationship between the age of the child and his ability to revise decision criteria was examined, as well as the appropriateness of TSD measures and methodology with children. It was hypothesized…

Studied the way in which 32 preschoolers aged three-five years, 28 second-graders and 64 undergraduates generalized from a labeled exemplar to other potential members of the same category. Results indicated that preschoolers focused mostly on single attributes in making category decisions and older individuals primarily exhibited multiple…

Presents a study of metacognitive responses of English school children examining four common metacognitive function measures. Discusses the content of each measure, the search for developmental commonality, and statistical relationships. Concludes that no evidence supported a common metacognitive factor or unified construct, although a common…

This book combines suggestions for the teaching of problem solving with activities and carefully discussed non-routine problems which students should find interesting as they gain valuable experience in problem solving. The over 300 activities and problems have been gleaned from a variety of sources and have been classroom tested by practicing…

This curriculum guide, one of nine sequential manuals for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, is designed to prevent drug misuse and abuse through activities for developing students' cognitive and affective skills. The materials emphasize the involvement of parents and community members and resources in implementing drug abuse…

This curriculum guide, one of nine sequential manuals for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, is designed to prevent drug misuse and abuse through activities for developing students' cognitive and affective skills. The materials emphasize the involvement of parents and community members and resources in implementing drug abuse…

One of three related documents produced in response to a need for direct instruction in thinking skills, this program for middle school or junior high school students bases its approach on involvement of students in direct experiences. The book contains four units. Focusing on perception, Unit 1: "Experiencing the Arts" begins with ways sensory…