People spontaneously discover new representations during problem solving. Discovery of a mathematical representation is of special interest, because it shows that the underlying structure of the problem has been extracted. In the current study, participants solved gear-system problems as part of a game. Although none of the participants initially…

VERBAL CUEING UNDER CONDITIONS COMPARABLE TO THE CLASSROOM WAS STUDIED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESES THAT THE SPECIFICITY OF VERBAL CUES DURING TRAINING IS INVERSELY RELATED TO BREADTH OF TRANSFER OF THE ABILITY TO DISCOVER A PROBLEM SOLUTION IN THE ABSENCE OF CUES. THREE DIFFERENT EXPERIMENTS WERE CARRIED OUT, EACH UTILIZING 50 TO 150 CHILDREN AS…

Discusses the development and use of flowcharts to involve students in the major stages of experimental design and hypothesizing. The progress of stages attempts to simplify the complexity involved during problem-solving in science investigations. Several illustrative flowcharts are included. (JN)

Discovery learning, defined as intentional learning through problem solving and under the supervision of the teacher, is discussed in terms of its advantages and disadvantages, with suggestions for its application. (JMF)

The article discusses the concept of inspiration as a component of creativity, including environmental influences, affective self-awareness, effective verbal communication to preserve inspired experiences, and the role of humor. The creative problem-solving process is also addressed, with attention to divergent thinking strategies and the practice…

Seven principles are presented for improving creative thinking, based on assumptions of creativity as a perceptual shift resulting from a metamorphic mental image. Principles include (1) the future initiates and pulls creative thought; (2) initial fact finding is best postponed; (3) problem redefinition is often retrospective; and (4) metaphors…

This book presents first-person accounts of 20 young female inventors. Most have won prizes for their inventions; some have even obtained patents. Part 1 "Inventors and Their Inventions," focuses on the young inventors and their lives, how they came up with their ideas, who helped them, what problems they faced, and how they solved their problems.…

Summary of Author's Ed.D. Dissertation, University of Nebraska, 1969

A SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION OF THE COGNITIVE PROCESSES INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF A DRAWING WAS CONDUCTED. A SITUATION WAS DESIGNED IN WHICH A SAMPLE GROUP OF ABOUT 30 ARTISTS COULD BE OBSERVED AT WORK. BEHAVIOR WAS RECORDED AND THE PROGRESS OF THEIR WORK PHOTOGRAPHED. OF THE BEHAVIORS OBSERVED, SIX WERE TAKEN TO REFLECT RELEVANT STAGES IN THE…

Discusses an experiment designed to give students a feel for the way in which theoretical models evolve. Students are given a system unknown to them and asked to develop a consistent model which fully explains all their observations on the system. (Author/GA)

Discussed is the tendency in science to challenge obvious explanation for observed phenomenon. Ten examples are given where the initial obvious explanation was subsequently shown to be totally incorrect. Four examples that relate to biomedicine are presented in detail. (SL)

The author discusses a film which demonstrates the problem-solving approach to learning in practice; he takes the theory further, suggesting that the intellectual process underlying discovery learning--whether concerned with practical skills or literary criticism--is the capacity of adults to choose between alternatives. (Author/AJ)

In order to investigate the relationship between mental imagery and creative problem solving, a study of 44 separate accounts reporting mental imagery experiences associated with creative discoveries were examined. The data included 29 different scientists, among them Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, and 9 artists, musicians, and writers,…