Combinatorial and implicative operations were studied with tasks which eliminated many complexities found in Piagetian tasks, but which did not alter the logical strategies required by Piaget's task. Task difficulty in relation to information-processing demands of tasks and processing capacities of subjects at three age levels (8.0-10.1 and…

The objective of this study is to identify some of the structural features of an elementary logic curriculum which affect logic problem difficulty. The system under review is a computer-based logic instructional system (LIS) at Stanford University. Four modes of problem presentation--multiple-choice, truth-analysis, counterexample, and derive--are…

A sample of scientists and engineers participated in a study designed to assess moderating influences of facets of perceived cohesiveness and collaborative problem-solving on the task characteristics-individual performance relationship between task difficulty and individual performance. (Author)

First-, third-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children were administered 20 relational reasoning problems in which they had to deduce the possible sizes of one item relative to two others on the basis of a visual comparison and a written clue. Dramatic differences were observed between fifth- and sixth-grade children. Corrective feedback improved…

The performance of children ages three through eight years on a series of class-inclusion problems was examined in two studies. Three patterns of performance were observed: three- and four-year-olds responded in an approximately haphazard pattern, five- and six-year-olds tended to be consistently wrong, and seven- and eight-year-olds showed a…

An anagram task administered to high and low test-anxious subjects under varied levels of external distraction showed a significant main effect of test anxiety for the "hard" anagrams which also interacted with the subjects' sex and distraction. The effects of increments of anxiety arousal produced by distraction are discussed.…

Three experiments investigated effects of attentional factors on children's learning set performance. Younger children's learning was differentially affected by two or more irrelevant dimensions. Practice improved performance for all ages. Results confirmed that irrelevant dimensions and within-problems exposure interact with age and amount of…

Whether hierarchical ordering among fraction identification problems reflects the replacement of simple rules by complex rules was investigated. Latent class techniques revealed that children applied rules that were adequate for simple problems but had to be replaced to solve more complex problems. (Author/GK)

Examined effects of cognitive focusing training in early and late concrete operational children. Focusing was manifested by the late concrete operational children regardless of whether or not they had been trained. The amount of negative feedback and the nature of the probe techniques affected the manifestation of focusing. (Author/DB)

Reviews procedures followed during traditional organizational change and identifies factors that lead to increased intrinsic motivation. Topics discussed include problem solving, level of challenge, competence, people as information processors, curiosity, task complexity, the need for organization, and choice in degree of control. (17 references)…

Exploration of collaboration preferences of six mathematically gifted children (ages 11-12) in solving complex, novel problems found collaboration was preferred only when the task was sufficiently challenging. When collaboration was encouraged there was the development of mutual scaffolding, shared cognition, critical thinking, and discernment and…

This study investigated the extent to which interspersing effects are consistent with the effects of reinforcement on predicting students' preferences for mathematics assignments. Students were exposed to 4 pairs of assignments. Each assignment pair contained a control assignment with 15 problems requiring multiplication of a three digit number by…

The author examined the potential influence of learning opportunities provided in 1 U.S. and 1 Chinese mathematics textbook series on students' problem-solving performance. Also, the author studied learning opportunities provided in the textbooks by analyzing word problem distribution across various problem types, as well as the potential…

In an experiment using a conditional logic task, subjects were given a set of cards defining a particular conditional relationship. The subjects were required to determine the rule and predict the outcomes of the rule. Rule structure was varied by providing subjects with either a suggested rule, a partial rule, or no rule for each set of cards.…

This triad of consulting models identifies the assumption upon which each rests. The consultant with adequate knowledge and self-insight will understand which model is appropriate to a given situation. The three models include: (1) purchase of expertise; (2) doctor-patient role; and (3) consultation process for problem solving. (Author/MFD)