Investigated strategies used by preschoolers to accomplish a repeatedly requested practical task. Participants satisfied customer requests for vegetables in a play store, with the number of moves and strategy type recorded and coded. Arithmetic pre- and posttests were also administered. Found that with repeated exposure, the children became…

Distinguishes the values of quantitative increments and qualitative shifts with regard to problem solving. Subjects were 136 children ranging from 6 through 8 years and were presented with the standard 3-disc problem to resolve in 3 minutes. Results indicated that qualitative shifts in children's representation of problem space are a crucial…

Examined precursors of knowledge change in college students' developing understanding of gear movement. Found that only some participants changed their problem-solving approach after instruction. Results suggest that having multiple approaches available and using instructional information to build on not-well-developed conceptions may contribute…