Research on retrieval-induced forgetting has shown that retrieval can cause the forgetting of related or competing items in memory (Anderson, Bjork, & Bjork, 1994). In the present research, we examined whether an analogous phenomenon occurs in the context of creative problem solving. Using the Remote Associates Test (RAT; Mednick, 1962), we…

Examined differences between self-perceived effective and ineffective problem solvers on several cognitive content and process variables of college students (N=500). Results indicated that subjects who perceived themselves as effective problem solvers had higher self-concepts and coping styles that were less blameful and more problem focused. (LLL)

Measures of latency and accuracy and self-ratings of performance on Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) were found to significantly differentiate between college students self-rated as high- and low-success problem solvers. Results suggest a need for training low-success, impulsive problem solvers in more effective problem-solving…

This study with 432 college students examined how variables influence the relative performance of groups and individuals on creative problem-solving tasks. Having more ideas available (through a priming manipulation) led to better individual performance. Group performance, however, was enhanced by training appropriate to problem content that…

The primary goal of this discussion is to summarize research on the role of expertise in accounting for individual differences in analogical problem solving among college students. The discussion also relates expertise differences to current theorizing in the developmental literature that concerns analogical reasoning in children. Contents focus…

Finds support for the hypothesis that individuals who prefer a visualization strategy will obtain higher scores on the "Mental Rotation Test" than individuals who prefer an orientation strategy. (RL)

Individual differences in the ability to connect thoughts to emotions were studied with 321 participants who read the writings of a target group and guessed the emotions of targets. Findings are interpreted to mean that some forms of emotional problem solving require emotional openness as well as general intelligence. (SLD)

Twenty-two college students from each of three different epistemological groups--dualistic, multiplistic, and relativistic--completed both a syllogism and ink blot problem-solving task. Findings indicated that the three epistemological groups reliably differed in how they mentally organized the ink blot stimuli but not the syllogism problems.…

A study attempting to disclose dilemmas encountered by university professors as a means of better understanding their inner world is discussed. The nature of these dilemmas is investigated via the thinking aloud technique. Twelve subjects were asked to think aloud about dilemmas they encountered in their work, and the flow of thoughts was…

The Reflective Judgment Model and associated interview (RJI) (Kitchener and King, 1981) measure the ability of individuals to reason about ill-structured problems. It has gained popularity as a measure of college outcomes associated with postsecondary education. This study examines general claims for the model made from existing data from 15 of 25…

Twenty-eight engineering students were presented with complex spatial problems to investigate the effects of spatial aptitude and strategy selection on problem solving. Aptitude was determined by spatial aptitude test scores and strategy was determined by verbal reports and latency measures. It was found that aptitude determined the efficiency…

Developmental differences in reasoning ability and item processing demands are analyzed in a study of cognitive determinants of number analogy performance in two IQ levels of elementary school children and college students. The amount of solution-related information in working memory was the crucial processing demand. Process differentiations of…

Presents study results suggesting some malleability in learning strategies that flow from cognitive style. Examines the effects and practicability of restructuring training as a means of addressing individual learner differences. Reports that training enhanced performance on two dependent measures tasks. Concludes that field-dependent learners…

Describes results from two independent investigations of college students that were conducted to study the impact of differences in users' cognition and search tasks on Web search activities and outcomes. Topics include cognitive style; problem-solving; and implications for the design and use of the Web and Web search engines. (Author/LRW)

This research addresses the actual goals and intentions from which students plan and organize their work in a course of study. Representations can either facilitate or hinder learning and problem solutions. Several salient aspects of adult students' representational systems and how they influenced university study were examined in two studies. The…