Decision-making styles and problem-solving appraisal.

Administered measures of decision-making styles and problem-solving appraisal to 243 undergraduates and a canonical analysis was employed to examine the relationships between the 2 sets of variables. Three significant canonical roots suggest that (a) individuals who employ rational decision-making strategies are likely to approach (rather than avoid) problematic situations, (b) individuals who endorse dependent decisional strategies are likely to report that they approach problematic situations but do so without particular confidence in their problem-solving abilities, and (c) the endorsement of both rational and intuitive strategies for decision making is likely to be accompanied by appraisals of both greater confidence and diminished personal control. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive variables associated with personal problem-solving appraisal: Implications for counseling.

Examined differences between self-perceived effective and ineffective problem solvers on cognitive content variables (e.g., self-concept, irrational beliefs, and dysfunctional thoughts) as well as cognitive process variables (e.g., need for cognition, and coping processes). 500 college students were given the Problem Solving Inventory during a mass testing program at the beginning of the semester. Subsequently, 52 Ss were selected for additional participation, and each completed 5 instruments: Irrational Beliefs Test, Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, Need for Cognition Scale, Thought Stopping Survey Schedule, and Ways of Coping Scale. Results indicate statistically significant main effects by problem-solving appraisal for all of the dependent variables. Ss who perceived themselves as effective problem solvers had more of a tendency to enjoy cognitive activities, higher self-concepts and lower self-criticism scores, lower frequencies of dysfunctional thoughts, fewer irrational beliefs, and coping styles that were less blameful and more problem focus than those Ss who perceived themselves as ineffective problem solvers. Results are related to W. Mischel's (1981) self-regulatory and encoding schema, cognitive-behavioral research, distinctions among cognitive processes, problem-solving training, counseling, and problem-solving models. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depressive symptoms.

In the present study, a prospective design was used and data were collected from 277 introductory psychology students to distinguish among the antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of problem-solving appraisal and depression. The results of structural equation path analyses provide preliminary evidence that self-appraised ineffective problem-solving ability is an antecedent that may play a causal role in predicting future depressive symptoms. However, the results also suggest that problem-solving appraisal is a concomitant of depressive symptoms such that the experience of depressive symptoms may cause temporary deficits in self-appraisal of problem-solving ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adolescent problem-solving thinking.

Tested the hypothesis that adolescent psychiatric patients would be deficient with respect to normal controls in their interpersonal problem-solving skills by comparing 33 patients and 53 high school student controls on 7 tasks reflecting different aspects of problem solving. With IQ covaried out, controls obtained significantly higher scores on the tasks evaluating optional thinking, social means-ends thinking, and role taking, but not on the tasks measuring problem recognition, causal thinking, emotional means-ends thinking, and consequential thinking. Findings are interpreted within a developmental framework of interpersonal problem-solving thinking. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of personal agency, problem-solving appraisal, and traditionality of career choice to women's attitudes toward multiple role planning.

The relationship of personal agency, problem-solving appraisal, and traditionality of career choice to scores on the Attitudes Toward Multiple Role Planning (ATMRP) scales was examined in undergraduate and graduate women (N ?=?131) aspiring to both traditional and nontraditional occupations. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed personal agency was positively related to the ATMRP scales of Knowledge/Certainty and Commitment to Multiple Roles. Traditionality of career choice moderated the effect of personal agency on both Commitment to Multiple Roles and Independence. Problem-solving appraisal factors were also positively associated with Knowledge/Certainty. Both Approach-Avoidance Style and Problem-Solving Confidence predicted Commitment to Multiple Roles, whereas only Approach-Avoidance Style predicted Independence. Educational level was the only variable predicting the ATMRP scale of Involvement. Implications for research, theory, and counseling in multiple role planning are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation of acculturation, problem-solving appraisal, and career decision-making self-efficacy to Mexican American high school students' educational goals.

This study examined the contributions of acculturation, problem-solving appraisal, and career decision-making self-efficacy on 105 Mexican American high school students' educational goals. A standard regression analysis indicated that Anglo-oriented acculturation and problem-solving appraisal accounted for significant variance in educational goals. Mexican-oriented acculturation and career decision-making self-efficacy did not contribute significant variance to students' educational goals. The regression model accounted for 19.5% of the variance in educational goals. Results of the structure coefficients for the predictor variables indicated that Anglo-oriented acculturation and career decision-making self-efficacy were the 2 most important predictors, followed by problem-solving appraisal and Mexican-oriented acculturation, respectively. Implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations for interventions are provided for enhancing the educational and career development among Mexican American adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and maltreatment as predictors of social competence and social problem-solving skills in school-age children

Childhood depression and child maltreatment have been shown to be important predictors of childhood adjustment problems, including difficulties in the spheres of home, school, and peer relationships. In this study, depression and maltreatment were used to predict social competence and social problem-solving skills, as rated by self, parent, and teacher. The total sample contained 68 children (35 girls, 33 boys), most of whom were at high-risk either due to poverty, physical abuse and neglect (as determined by substantiated Protective Services reports), or exposure to negative life events. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses were used to identify the contribution of depression and maltreatment to social competence and social problem-solving skills. Depression predicted parents' and teachers' ratings of social competence and parents' ratings of peer rejection. Additionally, depression predicted children's ratings of social competence and both measures of social problem-solving skills. Maltreatment predicted parents' and teachers' ratings of social competence. Gender predicted teachers' ratings of peer rejection and social competence. An additive effect of depression and maltreatment was found such that children who are depressed and maltreated have the lowest social competence as rated by parents and teachers. These children are, therefore, doubly at risk for problems in future relationships.     

Transfer of domain-specific problem-solving procedures.

Two experiments examined transfer of mathematical problem-solving procedures learned in content-rich quantitative domains (e.g., physics, finance) to isomorphic algebra word problems dealing with other contents. In spite of content-specific embedding, many high school and college students exhibited spontaneous transfer when the variables in the learned and in the transfer problems represented similar types of quantities (e.g., speed and typing rate). Spontaneous transfer to structurally isomorphic problems with variables representing different types of quantities (e.g., speed and salary) was blocked. Protocol analyses showed that for matching quantities, transfer solutions were straightforward applications of the learned methods, whereas transfer to problems with nonmatching quantities demanded a hint for retrieval followed by an effortful process of abstraction and analogical mapping. The results suggest a complex interrelation between content and structure: Many features of the embedding content may be "screened out" as irrelevant, but content features used for interpretation of variables (e.g., intensive vs. extensive) may affect both access and use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group versus individual problem-solving.

This investigation was proposed to answer the question: "Is the performance of a group superior to the performance of an individual?" Using problems involving spatial and verbal variables, the research findings indicated that group solutions were superior to individual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of gender-related personality traits, problem-solving appraisal, and perceived social support in developing a mediational model of psychological adjustment.

This study examined the relation between gender-related personality traits and psychological adjustment. The study used structural equation modeling with latent variables to assess how gender-related personality traits influence aspects of psychological adjustment. Participants included 306 undergraduate and graduate students. Results indicated that the different gender-related personality traits influence corresponding aspects of psychological adjustment through 2 mediational components: problem-solving appraisal and perceived social support. The relation between gender-related personality traits and psychological adjustment is not simply a linear one as conceptualized previously. Rather, gender-related personality traits have an indirect effect through mediating factors. Implications for counseling interventions and for further research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress, appraisal, coping, and social support as predictors of adaptational outcome among dementia caregivers.

A stress and coping model was used to study predictors of individual differences in caregiver adaptation. A total of 54 family caregivers of elderly dementia patients completed interviews and questionnaires assessing the severity of patient impairment and caregiving stressors; caregiver appraisals, coping responses, and social support and activity; and caregiver outcomes, including depression, life satisfaction, and self-rated health. Correlational and regression analyses supported the utility of the stress and coping model. Appraisal, coping responses, and social support and activity were significant predictors of caregiver outcome, even when severity of caregiving stressors was statistically controlled. The importance of a multidimensional approach to assessing caregiver outcomes was supported by regression analyses indicating that each caregiver outcome was predicted by different patterns of stressors, appraisal, coping, and social support and activity. Results are discussed in terms of a stress and coping model of caregiving, and clinical implications for work with caregiving families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of frustration on problem-solving behavior.

"An attempt is made in this study to determine the effect of frustration in one task on performance in the immediately following task… . The results yield some indications of spread of the effects of frustration induced in one task to the performance of another task." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group-to-individual and individual-to-group problem-solving transfer.

Using 330 undergraduates, group-to-individual transfer and individual-to-group transfer were assessed on a class of reasoning problems against appropriate individual-to-individual and group-to-group control conditions. Individuals (Is) and 3-person cooperative groups (Gs) solved 3 successive problems in 1 of the 8 possible orders. Gs performed better than Is, regardless of the temporal order of I and G problem solving. It is suggested that both G-to-I and I-to-G transfer are specific and that G-to-I transfer involves the 2 separable issues of individual social learning in a group setting and collective induction. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overcoming contextual limitations on problem-solving transfer.

Five experiments investigated transfer from multiple analogs to a superficially dissimilar target problem. When subjects explicitly compared the analogs and then immediately attempted to solve the target problem in the context of a single experiment, transfer was obtained with significant frequency even without a hint that the analogs and target were related. Prehint transfer was sharply reduced or eliminated when the source analogs and the target were presented in different contexts, even when the transfer test was immediate. However, prehint transfer was enhanced, even after a context shift and a week-long delay between reading the source analogs and solving the problem, when the following conditions were met: The target problem was reworded slightly to emphasize a structural feature that it shared with the analogs; three rather than two source analogs were provided; and detailed, schema-oriented questions were used to help subjects focus on the problem-relevant aspects of the stories. Although spontaneous transfer between small numbers of dissimilar analogs is difficult to obtain, it can be achieved by manipulations that foster abstraction of a problem schema from the training examples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)