Developmental changes in problem-solving strategies: Permutation.

Abstract

This investigation was concerned with developmental changes in problemsolving strategies as reflected in children's solutions to permutation problems. In addition to the usual product measure of problem-solving efficiency (number of unrepeated arrangements), measures of strategies reflecting the experimental procedure of holding variables constant (holding initial marks constant, in this case) and degree of development of rule systems reflecting mathematical group properties were developed. Sixteen boys and 16 girls at each of three age levels (12, 15, and 18) homogeneous with respect to socioeconomic and ability level, were administered four permutation tasks that varied with respect to representational level and degree of task structure within an element set. Analysis of these data revealed two major nonexclusive problem-solving strategies which increased with age: (a) one reflecting mathematical group structure and (b) one of holding initial marks constant while permuting the remainder. In addition, the data indicated differential developmental trends in the usual product score as compared to the strategy scores. Stimulus variables had a complex effect on strategy selection and suggest significant sex as well as age differences. The implications of these data for further research on developmental strategies in problem solving and cognitive theory are presented.

Personal Factors Related to Typicalness of Career and Success in Active Professional Women

“…It was expected, but not confirmed, that physicians and lawyers would show different patterns of verbal and spatial ability. Specifically, it was assumed that lawyers, as members of a highly verbal profession, would score higher on the Vocabulary subtest, and that physicians would score higher on the Block Design subtest owing to their greater training in the sciences, and the apparent connection between success in these areas and spatial ability (Hyde, Geringer, & Yen, 1975;Leskow & Smock, 1970).…”

“…Males typically excel in spatial abilities (e.g. Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974) and spatial ability appears to be connected with success in science and mathematics (Hyde, Geringer & Yen, 1975;Leskow & Smock, 1970).…”

Six Years in the Cognitive and Metacognitive Life of 71 Families

“…Moreover, two out of four indices of supervision are particularly informative with regard to cognitive performance: repetition and taking note of the tested codes. Besides preventing repetition, taking note of the codes previously tested helps (according to Leskow & Smock, 1970) detection of regularities and emergence of new strategies. In fact, results show that at T1 and at T2, families who used SS wrote down the codes significantly more often than did other families (Tl: t = -3.87; dl = 21; P = 0.001; T2: t = -2.17; dl = 25; P = 0.04).…”

Reproductive Decisions in Adolescence

“…Since development is a crucial factor in adolescent decision making, the nurse should assess adolescents for cognitive maturity (Sachs, 1985;White, 1984). There is a quickly administered, easily scored instrument available for determining cognitive development (Leskow & Smock, 1970). This four-digit permutation task, which requires about four minutes to administer and score, provides the nurse with a reasonably accurate estimate of the adolescents' abilities for concrete or abstract thought.…”