Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Thinking and Problem Solving

Ericsson, K. Anders; Hastie, Reid

doi:10.1016/b978-0-08-057299-4.50008-6

Cited by 46 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 108 publications

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“…This approach has sometimes led to studies whose ecological validity other researchers have questioned (e.g., Lave, 1988). Ericsson and Hastie (1994) propose two strategies to improve the situation. One is to identify the relevant cognitive processes on such a fundamental level that they are always present in the cognitive tasks of interest, and therefore also in the artificial problems.…”

Section: Appropriation From the Perspective Of Cognitive Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Theory-building can be started with descriptive studies, but the final aim is to end up with something that can be subjected to empirical critique more directly. Ericsson and Hastie (1994) have addressed ways to proceed towards ecological validity in research on thinking and problem solving. Their discussion is also suitable for the purposes of this paper.…”

Section: Appropriation From the Perspective Of Cognitive Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

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Inventing New Uses for Tools: A Cognitive Foundation for Studies on Appropriation

Salovaara¹

2008

Human Technology

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INTRODUCTIONAppropriation-the invention of new purposes of use-as a phenomenon in human-computer interaction is gaining increasing interest, especially in computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) research (e.g., Balka & Wagner, 2006;Bansler & Havn, 2006;Brown & Perry, 2000;Dourish, 2003;Huysman et al., 2003;Pargman & Waern 2003;Petersen, Madsen, & Kjaer, 2002;Salovaara, 2007). The reason for this is that, from the late 1980s until today, it has become increasingly clear that a system's use should be conceived more as a projection of its features instead of a direct outcome of the design (see, e.g., DeSanctis & Poole, 1994;Orlikowski, 1992). Design does not determine how and for what purposes a system will be used in real settings, but rather is a component in a more complex, evolving process in which unforeseen contextual features, social factors, creativity, and opportunism, as well as new user interpretations, also play a part. The result of such a process is a multitude of different uses for the same system, each use having a different history behind it. Put in another way, users often adapt their tools by transforming their use and even their configuration, thus making them suitable for ongoing practices in different environments. An often-used definition for appropriation comes from Dourish, who has captured the above-mentioned viewpoints in the following description:Appropriation is the way in which technologies are adopted, adapted and incorporated into working practice. This might involve customisation in the traditional sense (that is, the explicit reconfiguration of the technology in order to suit local needs), but it might also simply involve making use of the technology for purposes beyond those for which it was originally designed, or to serve new ends. (Dourish, 2003, p. 467)

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Section: Appropriation From the Perspective Of Cognitive Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Appropriation From the Perspective Of Cognitive Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Inventing New Uses for Tools: A Cognitive Foundation for Studies on Appropriation

Salovaara¹

2008

Human Technology

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“…Such activities include decision making, problem solving, sense making, learning, and analysing, all of which can be referred to as complex cognitive activities (see Ericsson and Hastie, 1994). Knauff and Wolf (2010) identified two essential characteristics of complex cognitive activities: 1) the use of complex psychological processes, and 2) the presence of complex conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction Design for Complex Cognitive Activities with Visual Representations: A Pattern-Based Approach

Sedig

Parsons²

2013

THCI

105

156

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This paper is concerned with interaction design for visualization-based computational tools that support the performance of complex cognitive activities, such as analytical reasoning, sense making, decision making, problem solving, learning, planning, and knowledge discovery. In this paper, a number of foundational concepts related to interaction and complex cognitive activities are syncretized into a coherent theoretical framework. This framework is general, in the sense that it is applicable to all technologies, platforms, tools, users, activities, and visual representations. Included in the framework is a catalog of 32 fundamental epistemic action patterns, with each action pattern being characterized and examined in terms of its utility in supporting different complex cognitive activities. This catalog of action patterns is comprehensive, covering a broad range of interactions that are performed by a diverse group of users for all kinds of tasks and activities. The presented framework is also generative, in that it can stimulate creativity and innovation in research and design for a number of domains and disciplines, including data and information visualization, visual analytics, digital libraries, health informatics, learning sciences and technologies, personal information management, decision support, information systems, and knowledge management.

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“…Although this lack of data may be attributed to the audio protocol, which may have prompted student reflection beginning after the planning phase, the paucity of planning may deserve further attention. Considering that a distinguishing factor between experts and novices is careful planning, possibly because experts have a more developed tool kit of strategies 25 , engineering educators may be well-advised to address this gap by modeling and emphasizing the value of this metacognitive step to help students transition to a more expert approach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reliance of strategies such as guess-and-check and plug-and-chug expose naivety in problem solving awareness, which is an established discrepancy between novices and experts who approach a task 25 . Coding of segments where students identify prior error or confusion can help instructors see where initial false starts were; instructors can use this information to develop awareness of common traps students fall into when approaching a particular type of problem and explicitly mediate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utility of Post-Hoc Audio Reflection to Expose Metacognition and Strategy Use by First-Year Engineering Students for Different Problem Types

Cian¹,

Cook²,

Benson³

2016 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Lisa Benson is an Associate Professor of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University, with a joint appointment in Bioengineering. Her research focuses on the interactions between student motivation and their learning experiences. Her projects involve the study of student perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards becoming engineers and scientists, and their problem solving processes. Other projects in the Benson group include effects of student-centered active learning, self-regulated learning, and incorporating engineering into secondary science and mathematics classrooms. Her education includes a B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Vermont, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Clemson University.c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Utility of Post-Hoc Audio Reflection to Expose Metacognition and Strategy Use by First Year Engineering Students for Different Problem Types AbstractThis work-in-progress paper identifies metacognitive activities and problem solving strategies utilized by first-year engineering students to solve different types of problems. Our research question is: What problem solving strategies and metacognitive activities are revealed by students' post-hoc audio reflections on their solutions to three different types of engineering problems (story, open-ended, exercise)?This study was conducted with first-year engineering students at our institution over two semesters. Students solved problems using tablets and custom-designed software that recorded student written work and erasures. Students then would watch playback of their problem solution and insert verbal comments into their work (post-hoc audio reflection). Analysis of students' written data did not reveal much about metacognition and only afforded minimal insight into strategy use. Audio data was then analyzed for strategy use and types of metacognitive activity for the three problem types.Our analysis suggests that students do employ different strategies for different problems; openended and story problems are more likely to elicit metacognition in general, and few students articulated their thinking for exercise problems. Most metacognition occurred in the form of monitoring and evaluating, with little evidence of planning. Several strategies are used by students for all problems, but some are unique to specific types of problems. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of post-hoc audio reflection in engineering education research to better assess and address students' metacognition and problem solving strategies. IntroductionThis work-in-progress paper identifies metacognitive activities and problem solving strategies utilized by first-year engineering students to solve different types of problems. Our research question is: What problem solving strategies and metacognitive activities are revealed by students' post-hoc audio reflections on their solutions to three different types of engineering problems (story, open-ended, exercise)? Post-hoc audio reflection is defined as verbal student comm...

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Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Thinking and Problem Solving

Cited by 46 publications

References 108 publications

Inventing New Uses for Tools: A Cognitive Foundation for Studies on Appropriation

Inventing New Uses for Tools: A Cognitive Foundation for Studies on Appropriation

Interaction Design for Complex Cognitive Activities with Visual Representations: A Pattern-Based Approach

Utility of Post-Hoc Audio Reflection to Expose Metacognition and Strategy Use by First-Year Engineering Students for Different Problem Types

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