Social influences on children's problem solving.

Three studies examined the nature and limiting conditions of effects of peer interaction on children's problem solving. 150 children (4 to 11 years old) worked alone or with a same-age peer at a computer. Age, task complexity, and task familiarity were found to qualify effects of peer interaction on both motivation and learning. At all ages, except when the task was very complex or very familiar, working with a peer increased task engagement and positive affect. For younger preschool children, working with a peer had no effect on retention of simple or moderately complex tasks but had a negative effect on retention of more complex tasks. For older preschool children, peer interaction had a positive effect on retention of simple tasks, a neutral effect on retention of moderately complex tasks, and a negative effect on retention of more complex tasks. For elementary-school children, peer interaction had a positive effect on retention of even the most complex tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social maladjustment and problem solving in school-aged children.

Examined the relationship between social adjustment and the cognitive skills of solving interpersonal problems. 68 popular, aggressive, or isolated boys at 2 grade levels (2nd–3rd and 4th–5th) were presented with 6 hypothetical problem situations and asked to generate alternative solutions to the problems. Ss were subsequently asked to evaluate the effectiveness of solutions presented to them by the experimenter. It was found that the popular Ss generated more solutions than either the aggressive or isolated groups, which did not differ. The initial solutions of all groups were rated as "effective," in most cases, by independent coders. Subsequent solutions, however, varied as a function of S status. Popular Ss continued to generate effective solutions, whereas deviant Ss generated aggressive and ineffective solutions. No differences among S groups were found in the evaluations of the effectiveness of given solutions. Data support the notion that deviant boys are deficient in the cognitive problem-solving skills of generating alternative solutions but are not deficient in the evaluation of presented solutions. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Problem-solving behavior in suicidal adolescents.

Attempted to evaluate the assumption that suicidal behavior in adolescents is linked to diminished problem-solving capacity. The wais arithmetic subtest and rokeach's map reading problems test were administered to 13 suicidal, 13 psychiatric but nonsuicidal, and 13 normal adolescents. It was found that the suicidal group made significantly lower arithmetic subtest scores and failed the map test problems more often than the psychiatric and normal ss. It is concluded that the assumption of diminished problem-solving capacity in suicidal adolescents is correct. (24 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Logical problem solving by educable retarded adolescents and normal children.

Gave a simplified version of the logical problem-solving task developed by E. D. Neimark to 20 institutionalized and 18 noninstitutionalized retardates and to 20 children from kindergarten through 3rd grade. The performance of the retardates fell below that of the normals of equal mental age. Although the retardates and the younger children solved the problem when the critical information was supplied to them, most of these Ss could not generate the necessary information by themselves, and continued to make redundant responses. For the normals, performance improved up to 81/2-9 yrs of age, at which point 90% reached criterion. Training improved the performance of 7 yr olds but had little or no effect on the performance of 6 yr olds and institutionalized retarded adolescents. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social values and social conflict in creative problem solving and categorization.

Participants were led to expect either cooperation or conflict, and then performed K. Duncker's (1945) functional-fixedness task (Experiment 1) or E. Rosch's (1975) categorization task (Experiment 2). Those who expected cooperation, compared with those who expected conflict, were more likely to solve Duncker's task and used categories more inclusively, that is, rated low-prototypic exemplars of a category as better members of the category. In Experiment 3, the direct experience of cooperation and conflict had the same effect on categorization. In Experiment 4, participants were classified as having cooperative, competitive, or individualistic social values, and were led to expect either cooperation, conflict, or neither in a control. In the control, cooperators used categories more inclusively than competitors or individualists. Competitors used categories least inclusively in the conflict condition; in the cooperation condition, they used categories most inclusively. These results are interpreted in terms of the possible mediating role of cognitive organization in individual and intergroup conflict resolution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social isolation and social problem solving: A longitudinal study.

Investigated the social problem-solving (SPS) abilities of 72 children who were observed to interact infrequently with their peers. In Study 1, the stability of isolate and social behavior was examined. Ss were administered an SPS test in kindergarten and again in Grade 1, and relations between the observed frequency of isolate and social play and SPS were computed. Isolate and social behaviors were found to be moderately stable from kindergarten to Grade 1. Moreover, both quantitative and qualitative indexes of SPS competence correlated (concurrently and predictively) in a negative direction with the observed frequency of isolate play and in a positive direction with social play. In Study 2, the relations between frequency of isolate and social play and naturalistic SPS skills were examined. The data revealed that nonassertive, compliant SPS strategies observed in kindergarten correlated concurrently, but moderately, with isolate play in kindergarten and predictively with isolate play in Grade 1. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in problem solving.

Used a 20-item set of problems (similar to those used by E. Sweeney [1953]) in 9 experiments with 558 male and 578 female undergraduates to determine which sex was superior in problem solving, the role of previous experience, whether sex differences extended throughout the domain of problem-solving tasks, whether they extended to other word problems, the role of spatial ability and verbal ability, the role of mathematics aptitude, and the relative importance of aptitude and social learning variables. Results show that the male advantage, averaging 35% across experiments, persisted at the same level as in experiments conducted in the 1950's. Sex differences extended to other word problems. The male advantage was related to similar advantages in spatial and mathematical ability. Aptitude variables dominated attitude and mathematics experience variables in accounting for the sex difference. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fears of death in suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents.

Suicidal, psychiatric, and normal adolescent girls and boys, ages 15–17 yrs, participated in a study on five types of death fears. A mixed within-between multivariate analysis of variance (5 factors?×?3 groups) yielded significant interactive effects indicating that there were different profiles of fears among the three groups: Relative to the other groups, suicidal adolescents displayed little differentiation between facets of fear, with differences in the magnitude of fear limited to the intrapersonal facets. Correlates of fear varied between groups: Fear was positively correlated with suicidality in normal Ss, negatively correlated with suicidality among suicidal ones, and unrelated to suicidality in the psychiatric group. It is suggested that fear of death is processed and experienced differently by suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents to serve as a facilitator or inhibitor of suicidal behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-representation of suicidal adolescents

This study focused on the self-representations of suicidal adolescent. Twenty-six Israeli suicidal inpatients, 24 nonsuicidal inpatients, and 24 control participants completed scales on suicidal tendencies, the hedonic value of self-representations, the complexity (differentiation, integration) of these self-representations, and the discrepancies among self domains (actual, ideal, ought). Suicidal adolescents showed more negative self-representations, a less differentiated and less integrated organization of self-attributes, and more discrepancies between the 3 assessed domains of the self than did control participants. In addition, compared with psychiatric nonsuicidal participants, suicidal adolescents showed a less complex organization of self-attributes and a higher discrepancy between ideal self and ought self. Results were discussed in terms of the vulnerable self of suicidal adolescents, characterized by uneven processing of positive and negative information, confusion, and simplicity.     

Content effects in problem categorization and problem solving.

In many domains, the content of a problem (i.e., its surface cover story) provides useful clues as to the type of problem it is and to its solution. Five experiments examined this role of problem content on the problem solution and categorization of algebra word problems with experienced participants. In the first experiment, when problem content was atypical for the the problem's deep structure, people were worse at solving the problem. Differences were also detected in the problem solution where the problem's content was highly correlated with its deep structure versus problems where content was neutral to their deep structure. In the other experiments, problem categorization and determination of information relevance depended on how closely the problem's content matched its deep structure. These results suggest that content may be influential even for experienced problem solvers. The discussion examines the implications for problem schema access and application. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conformity and problem solving.

Tests of problem solving, conformity, and intelligence were given to 77 women and 64 men introductory psychology students to investigate the possibility that conformity, a nonintellectual variable, contributes to the variability in achievement in problem solving. The results show a negative correlation between tendency to conform and achievement in problem solving when the influence of intelligence is statistically removed. 17 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support and suicidal ideation in French-Canadians.

70 French-Canadian men and 80 French-Canadian women completed French versions of measures including the Life Experiences Survey, Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, Eysenck Personality Inventory, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Depression scale as well as scales assessing social support and suicidal ideation. Results of a backstep multiple regression analysis identified level of self-esteem, life stress, and relative religiousness as significant predictors of suicidal ideation. The contribution of social support was only significant at the 10% level. The pattern of variables associated with suicidal ideation resembled that of a neurotic lifestyle. Results suggest that interventions limited to social support may not be adequate to reduce suicidal ideation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inferential problem solving in young children.

Children younger than 7–8 yrs of age have been considered incapable of inferential problem solving, defined as the combination of separately acquired behavior segments in order to solve a novel problem. This lack of inferential ability has been attributed to a deficit in spontaneous mediation. The present paper reports an experiment which demonstrates that 5–6-yr-olds are capable of inferential problem solving. Ss were 40 children, aged 5 yrs, 0 mo to 5 yrs, 11 mo, who had a mean score of 105.72 on the English Picture Vocabulary Test. The finding cannot be explained by the mediation-deficit hypothesis. An alternative interpretation is offered which argues that young children's inferential performance is constrained not by an inability to integrate separate or past experiences, but by their understanding of the separate elements involved. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social problem solving and community integration in postacute rehabilitation outpatients with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To enhance understanding of the role that social problem solving (SPS) plays in community integration following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Study Design: Regression analysis. Participants: Forty-five adults with TBI participating in higher level outpatient cognitive rehabilitation and 15 uninjured adults. Main Outcome Measures: Measures of community integration, problem-solving ability, and SPS self-appraisal and performance. Results: Individuals with TBI demonstrated poorer problem-solving as measured by both neuropsychological and SPS methods; however, the largest effect' size was observed for SPS self-appraisal. Only SPS self-appraisal predicted a significant proportion of the variance in community integration. Conclusions: It is important to assess brain-injured persons' confidence in their ability to cope with problems. A focus on objective test scores alone may lead to underdetection of disabling problem-solving deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Verbal problem solving in young children.

24 children at each of 3 age levels (4, 6, and 8 yrs) were asked a series of class inclusion questions presented verbally, visually, and kinesthetically. Four-year-olds performed significantly better under the verbal condition than they did under the visual or kinesthetic condition. There was no effect of condition for 6- or 8-yr-olds on response accuracy. Analysis of correctness of reasons showed main effects of Age and Condition. The majority of the reasons given across ages were based on a comparison between the 2 subclasses, providing support for the misinterpretation hypothesis as an explanation for children's errors. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social support, problem solving, and the longitudinal course of newlywed marriage.

Married couples (N = 172) were observed as newlyweds and observed again 1 year later while engaging in 2 problem-solving and 2 personal support discussions. Microanalytic coding of these conversations was used to examine associations between problem-solving and social support behaviors for 1 year and their relative contributions to 10-year trajectories of self-reported relationship satisfaction and dissolution. Results demonstrated that initially lower levels of positive support behaviors and higher levels of negative support behaviors predicted 1-year increases in negative emotion displayed during problem-solving conversations. Emotions coded from the initial problem-solving conversations did not predict 1-year changes in social support behaviors. Controlling for emotions displayed during problem-solving interactions eliminated or reduced associations between initial social support behaviors and (a) later levels of satisfaction and (b) relationship dissolution. These findings corroborate models that prioritize empathy, validation, and caring as key elements in the development of intimacy (e.g., Reis & Shaver, 1988) and suggest that deficits in these domains foreshadow deterioration in problem solving and conflict management. Implications for integrating support and problem solving in models of relationship change are outlined, as are implications for incorporating social support in education programs for developing relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organization and creative problem solving.

"Groups from four populations differing in their amount of experience and identification with industrial vocation, were compared in their performances on the Change of Work Procedure problem." Arranged from most to least identified, there were 179 groups. "The results are interpreted as providing support for the proposition that the formal authority relations in organizations inhibit creative problem solving. They also suggest that business may be attracting people who can work comfortably, but not creatively, in such formal authority systems." (12 ref.) From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4LI77M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fact-retrieval automatization and math problem solving by learning disabled, attention-disordered, and normal adolescents.

Learning disabled, attention-disordered, and normal adolescents were assessed with 2 performance measures and 3 behavioral measures, recorded while the Ss worked on math problems. Differences were found between the combined experimental and comparison groups in retrieval speed for each operation, but not in accuracy. Off-task attention contributed to the slower speeds of Ss only during multiplication. Rapid fact retrieval was the only significant predictor of the number of correct answers to word problems. Because of the statistical and procedural controls used (IQ, reading skill, and initial math ability), experimental vs control group differences in problem solving were demonstrated only for specific types of word problems. Overall, these findings support theoretical predictions that attention-disordered and learning disabled children have difficulty with repetitive stimuli, which contributes to basic- and advanced-level math deficits. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and social problem solving.

20 depressed patients with major depressive disorder, 20 nondepressed matched control Ss, and 17 patients with anxiety disorders were compared in different measures of social problem solving. Problem solving was assessed with the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Test (Study 1), the solution of personal problems, and a problem-solving questionnaire (Study 2). Results showed that, as predicted, depressed Ss suffered from a deficit in problem solving in all 3 measures. The majority of these deficits were also displayed by the clinical control group rather than being specific to a diagnosis of depression. However, depressed Ss produced less effective solutions than did normal and clinical control Ss. The results suggest that depressed and anxious patients may have difficulties at different stages of the problem-solving process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)