Developmental Approaches to Artistic Giftedness

Two studies done from constructivist perspectives were considered for their complementarity in understanding the development of gifted young artists. Study 1 used Case's (1992) neo-Piagetian theory as a framework and investigated the developmental progression in ability to represent spatial relations in children aged 4,6,8, and I0 years. Children identified as gifted demonstrated some advancement in their use of perspective but were distinguished primarily by their elaborate and novel representations of space. An age-related progression in acquisition of ability to render perspective supports a general factor in development, whereas abilities unique to the artistic domain support the relevance of including domain-specific characteristics in developmental models of giftedness. Study 2 was done primarily from a structuralist perspective but also incorporated a postformal perspective on the problem-finding and problem-solving behaviors of young artists aged I3 to 18 years. There was support for age-related domain-general aspects of thought with discipline-specific skills in making multiple comparisons in proportional relations and coordinating multiple perspectives. This finding may be an extension of young children's intrastage elaboration of the spatial structures available to them.     

Giftedness: Current Theory and Research

Gifted children, those with unusually high ability in one or more domains, not only develop more rapidly than typical children, but also appear to be qualitatively different. They have an intense drive to master, require little explicit tuition, and, if intellectually gifted, often pose deep philosophical questions. Although some psychologists have tried to account for the achievements of gifted individuals solely in terms of drive or 'deliberate practice,' no evidence allows us to rule out innate differences in talent. Profiles of gifted individuals are often uneven: Extremely high ability in one area can coexist with ordinary or even subnormal ability in another area. Scientific investigation of the gifted reveals the importance of drive and hard work in achievement of any kind, and the lack of necessary correlation among abilities in different areas.     

Solving Social Problems Like a Psychologist

ABSTRACT— We suggest that psychologists can play a larger role in the solution of important social problems. Psychology brings two important qualities to the study of social problems: attention to psychological process and rigorous methodology. Our key task is to define social problems in part as psychological problems, and to conduct rigorous research that tests novel psychological solutions. Examples of research that has taken this path—research on race differences in academic performance, on the training of executive function and intelligence, and on the provision of socially constructive default decisions—are provided. We argue that addressing social problems can enrich our science by connecting psychologists to interdisciplinary teams and by providing contexts in which to demonstrate, in striking ways, the value of a psychological approach.     

Children's Reasoning in Solving Relational Problems of Deduction

This article reports on a study of children's deductive reasoning in solving novel relational problems. Detailed protocols were obtained from 264 children (aged 9- 12 years) who verbalised their thinking as they solved the problems. The study included the development of a three-phase theory based on Johnson-Laird and Byrne's mental models perspective, but with some distinct modifications. These include a focus on the relational complexity entailed in model construction and in premise integration, and the advancement of four reasoning principles that are applied throughout problem solution (in contrast to Johnson-Laird's falsification processes as the hallmark of deductive reasoning). The reported case studies and the results of statistical analyses supported predictions arising from the proposed theory, including the key role of the reasoning principles. The results also showed that problem difficulty is a function of relational complexity, not of the number of models to be constructed, as argued by Johnson-Laird and Byrne.     

Effects of Group Training in Problem‐Solving Style on Future Problem‐Solving Performance

Seventy‐five participants from one suburban high school formed 21 teams with 3–4 members each for the Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI). Students were selected to participate in either the regular FPSPI or an enhanced FPSPI, where multiple group training activities grounded in problem‐solving style were incorporated into a 9‐week treatment period. An ANCOVA procedure was used to examine the difference in team responses to a creative problem‐solving scenario for members of each group, after accounting for initial differences in creative problem‐solving performance, years of experience in FPSPI, and creative thinking related to fluency, flexibility, and originality. The ANCOVA resulted in a significant difference in problem‐solving performance in favor of students in the treatment group (F(1, 57) = 8.21, p = .006, partial eta squared = .126, medium), while there were no significant differences in years of experience or creativity scores. This result led researchers to conclude that students in both groups had equivalent creative ability and that participation in the group activities emphasizing problem‐solving style significantly contributed to creative performance.     

Usefulness of Tables for Solving Word Problems

Our previous research on algebra word problems (Reed, Dempster, & Ettinger, 1985) revealed that students usually could not use one problem's solution to solve a similar problem that required a slight modification of the solution. In an attempt to improve their performance, we gave students practice on either filling in tables or using completed tables. Practice on entering values into tables usually did not improve performance on constructing equations because students often failed to enter the correct values. Students' use of completed tables resulted in improved performance when the tables were provided but did not result in transfer to isomorphic problems in which the tables were not provided. Encouraging students to use previous solutions resulted in partial success on the isomorphic problems, which was explained by using a task analysis based on Sternberg's (1977) model for four-term analogy problems.     

Solving Difference Problems: Wording Primes Coordination

In this study, we investigate the effect of problem text on solving three types of difference problems by first graders. COMPARE problems were significantly harder than EQUALIZE and WON'T GET problems. In terms of solution strategies, EQUALIZE problems were generally solved by an ADD-ON strategy; and the WON'T GET problems, by a MATCH strategy, which reflected the coordination of two mental number lines as the problem representation. No one strategy was used more often for the COMPARE problems, indicating that the COMPARE wording did not facilitate such coordination. These results suggest the coordination of mental number lines as the crucial component in solving difference problems.     

比较应用题解题过程的眼动研究

采用2×2×4三因素混合实验设计,使用美国应用科学实验室(ASL)生产的504型台式眼动仪,对不同年级学生解比较应用题过程中的解题指标和眼动指标进行分析。结果表明:随着年级的增高,学生解题过程中的各种眼动指标之间的差异逐渐缩小;解题时数学成绩优生与差生的眼动模式差异显著,解一致性不同题目时的眼动指标差异显著。     

Strategy Shifts and Expertise in Solving Transformation Rule Problems

The acquisition of expertise in formal problem solving has been assumed to involve either a shift from backwards to forwards inference, or a shift from unguided to guided forwards inference. In a longitudinal study, the acquisition of formal problem-solving expertise was investigated. Participants were tested as novices before undertaking controlled practice in the problem domain which involved transformation rule problems, and were finally tested as experts. The direction of inference in problem solutions was found to be inadequate to describe the strategic differences between novices and experts. Therefore, a new solution coding system was applied, based on atomic components of problem solution. Analysis of novice and expert solutions revealed no systematic strategy in the novice stage—solutions were confused and contained unproductive steps and backtracking. Several strategies were found in the expert solutions, but they did not agree with previously reported results. It was therefore proposed that the acquisition of expertise does not involve a change from one specific solution strategy to another, but rather the development of an efficient strategy, which can differ between participants.     

Developmental Differences in Understanding and Solving Simple Mathematics Word Problems

The hypothesis was tested that older chidren, fifth/sixth graders versus third graders, who are more accurate in word problem solution, would show evidence of problem differentiation consistent with schema theories of problem representation and solution. A mathematics word problem sorting task and an accuracy test were used to assess problem representation and accuracy of solution across 16 different problem types. Cluster analyses of sorting data revealed that older children demonstrated sorting patterns consistent with a refined schema theory. Younger children were both less accurate and less systematic in their sorting. Idealized sorting patterns representing schema theories as well as surface structure problem similarity were tested against actual sorting patterns. Regression analyses confirmed that the fifth/sixth graders' and third graders' sorting data were best fit by a schematic sort and by a surface structure sort, respectively. Additionally, an English versus Spanish language contrast showed no effect of language on either accuracy of solution or the sorting patterns of the math word problems.     

无意识加工对创造性问题解决的促进效应

以远距离联想测验(RAT)和字谜作为实验材料,采用改进的掩蔽启动实验范式,探讨无意识加工对创造性问题解决的影响。结果发现:(1)无论是完成远距离联想任务还是字谜任务,被试在启动和无启动条件下的正确率均无显著差异;(2)在两类任务下,对于高难度的创造性问题,启动条件下的正确率显著高于无启动条件。对于低难度的创造性问题,启动条件下RAT的正确率显著低于无启动条件,字谜的正确率在两种条件下无显著差异;(3)随着创造性问题难度降低,无意识信息的促进效应逐渐减小,对于低难度的创造性问题,无意识信息反而会起到抑制作用。这表明,无意识加工对随后的创造性问题解决过程具有促进效应,而且这种效应只有在解决高难度的创造性问题时才会体现。     

A Longitudinal Study of Exceptional Giftedness and Creativity

This article summarizes a longitudinal study of exceptionally gifted boys, with particular emphasis on ,findings involving their creative potential. The longitudinal investigation began 2 decades ago with 2 exceptionally gifted samples. These samples represented equivalent levels of ability but different areas or domains of talent. One was exceptionally gifted in math and science, the other a high-IQ group (mean IQ = 155). Data were collected from the boys and their parents. The present article summarizes group differences in expectations of independence, California Psychological Inventory (CPI; Gough, 1975) scales, and divergent thinking (DT) test scores. Relations among predictors are also discussed, as are relations with indexes of creative potential. In addition to group differences, notable findings include the strong relation between mothers' expectations for their sons' independence and the DT of the sons and the high flexibility scores of the exceptionally gifted samples on the CPI.     

顿悟研究及顿悟与智力超常的关系

顿悟(insight)就是以与众不同的方式突然地理解了一个问题,或理解了一条有助于该问题解决的策略。在常规的、结构良好的问题解决中虽也有顿悟的出现,但是顿悟更多地光顾于结构不好的问题的理解与解决过程中。所谓结构不好的问题就是不具备明确的解决路径的问题,这些问题往往没有良好定义的问题空间。问题解决者较难建立起合适的心理表征来构建问题以及问题解决的模型。对于这类问题而言,建立问题解决计划以确定一系列步骤来逼近问题的最终解决同样存在困难。通常这类问题也被称为顿悟问题。     

Productive and Re‐productive Thinking in Solving Insight Problems

Many innovations in organizations result when people discover insightful solutions to problems. Insightful problem‐solving was considered by Gestalt psychologists to be associated with productive, as opposed to re‐productive, thinking. Productive thinking is characterized by shifts in perspective which allow the problem solver to consider new, sometimes transformational, approaches. Re‐productive thinking, on the other hand, involves the application of familiar, routine, procedures. This article reports a study which investigated how self‐reported productive and re‐productive thinking are related to an individual's ability to solve insight problems. Our measures were tested against the Kirton Adaption‐Innovation Inventory (KAI), and a battery of spatial insight problems. The results indicated that productive and re‐productive thinking and the KAI were successful in predicting performance on spatial insight problems. Furthermore, the measures of productive and re‐productive thinking accounted for spatial insight performance independently of scores on the KAI. In addition, the results suggested that re‐productive thinking consists of two different components—one based on group conventions and the other on personal experience. Each contributed differently to solving insight problems.