Collaborative problem solving and children's planning skills.

Two studies were conducted in which 5- and 9-year-old children either collaborated with another person (peer or adult) or worked individually in planning efficient routes through a model grocery store. The studies examined the effects of planning with a partner as well as the relation of collaborative planning to subsequent solo planning. Study 1 demonstrated that older children are more skilled at planning in advance of action than younger children, and that children who planned in advance produced more efficient routes. Younger children who shared task responsibility developed more efficient routes, but this relationship did not appear for the older children. Results of Study 2, focusing on 5-year-olds, suggested that, although having a partner did not influence later individual planning, sharing responsibility for planning with a peer or an adult related to advance planning and planning effectiveness in later individual planning efforts. The results of the present studies suggest that cognitive gains resulting from joint problem solving between children and adults or peers may be more likely with shared task responsibility. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)