Four studies were conducted to demonstrate that the positive effects of verbalization on solution transfer found in previous studies were not due to verbalization per se but to the metacognitive processing involved in the effort required to produce explanations for solution behaviors. In Experiments 1,2, and 3, a distinction was made between process-oriented, problem-oriented, and simple "think aloud" verbalizations. The process-oriented (metacognitive) solvers performed significantly better than nonprocess control groups on both training and transfer tasks. Experiment 4 further demonstrated this effect by showing that process-oriented participants consistently form more sophisticated problem representations and develop more complex strategies.We observe, anecdotally, in our ordinary encounters with colleagues, peers, and acquaintances that individuals engaged in a difficult or complex problem solving task often talk aloud while trying to find the solution. Many of us have the sense that, somehow, it is helpful to talk through a problem and that, somehow, this aids the process of finding the solution. Although we are not sure specifically why it helps or what the mechanism is that provides us with such assistance, the urge to think out loud is almost irresistible.So, what happens when we engage in such an act? What is it that is so helpful? Much of the problem-solving research that includes verbalization as part of the paradigm has confirmed that, indeed, some kind of thinking aloud is beneficial both during practice/learning trials and on transfer of learning to other tasks (
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