Cue redundancy and extra logical inferences in a deductive reasoning task

This study investigated the influence of extraexperimental knowledge on deductive reasoning. Two groups of subjects solved modified abstract or concrete versions of Wason’s (1966) four-card selection problem in which the “if-then” implication rule provided the sole cue to underlying logical structure. Six other groups solved abstract or concrete comparison problems in which additional information was supplied by varying the relationship between antecedents and consequents in a manner consistent with logical structure. Selection responses and subjects’ explanations were analyzed using log-linear models of data arrayed in multiway contingency tables. Results showed improved performance for concrete over abstract problems and for both abstract and concrete problems that included relational information. Subjects capitalized upon the redundancy between the implication rule and the relational cues to reason effectively with either abstract or concrete stimuli.     

The Role of Religiosity on Postsecondary Degree Attainment

Although previous researchers found that several individual, family, and school characteristics influenced adolescents' academic performance, religion‐related factors have not typically been considered for models of bachelor's degree attainment. Using longitudinal data in a national database, the authors examined the relationship between high school students' religiosity and bachelor's degree attainment. The results indicate that high school students' religiosity was significantly related to bachelor's degree attainment when other variables (i.e., locus of control, self‐concept, parental involvement, and prior academic performance) were controlled for.     

基于线索的顿悟问题解决:图式和表征操作的影响

对小学、初中、高中学生共270名被试在不同线索条件下解决顿悟问题T puzzle的表现进行研究,结果表明:(1)由于图式运用水平的发展,知觉定势在单一线索下对高二被试的限制作用更为明显,导致小学五年级和初中二年级被试的问题解决时间短于高中二年级;(2)由于表征操作能力发展水平的限制,增大需操作表征数目的线索不利于五年级被试的问题解决;较高的表征操作能力发展水平使得高二被试在多重线索下有更好的解决成绩;(3)与图式相关的线索并不能有效提高儿童解决顿悟问题的效率。     

Spatial problem solving and functional relations

Three experiments investigated the role of object knowledge on participants' ability to solve a spatial arrangement problem. The task was to rearrange six real-world three-dimensional objects so that their relative locations agreed with a given set of rules. The aim of the experiments was to tease out the relative extent to which object association, orientation, and object-specific functional relations affect performance on arrangement tasks. When the problem was presented vertically (objects arranged in piles), participants solved functional canonical versions of the problem significantly quicker than functional non-canonical versions both between (Experiments 1a and 2), and within subjects (Experiment 3). When the arrangement problem was presented horizontally (objects arranged flat in two rows), no significant differences in solution times were found between conditions (Experiments 1b and 2). Overall the results provide evidence for the importance of object-specific functional relations as a predictor of the solution time of spatial arrangement problems, although some differences were noted between single and multiple presentation of problems when specific rules within problems were rotated. The importance of functional information in memory as a constraint on the building of mental models and problem spaces is discussed.     

The effects of problem content and negation on Wason's selection task

The present study examined performance on Wason's selection task for two types of thematic content that have been shown to lead reliably to correct responding in this task. The four versions of the implication rule that are possible when negative components (antecedent and consequent) are allowed were used. This permitted a test of the hypothesis that matching bias and verification bias are cognitive short-circuiting strategies which are used when subjects have no prior experience with the problem content. In support of this hypothesis, facilitation was observed for the negated thematic rules when compared to performance on negated abstract rules. In addition, neither matching bias nor verification bias explained very well the data for negated abstract rules which were recodable into non-negative form. For both thematic and abstract problems, a fairly substantial percentage of the selections were unaccounted for with respect to processing strategy.     

The effects of experience on performance in Wason’s selection task

The Wason selection task is a hypothetico-deductive reasoning problem employing the logical rule of implication. Recent studies have indicated that performance on this task may be related to subjects’ experience with the task content. Five versions of the task that differed in the manner in which they were related to the subjects’ experience with a familiar implication relationship were examined. The correct solution rate varied as a function of both the subjects’ extraexperimental and intraexperimental experience. A memory-cuing/reasoning-by-analogy explanation is proposed to account for the direct relationship between performance and the degree of similarity to subjects’ experience.     

Intelligence and teachers' ratings as predictors of abstract and concrete learning

This study concerned the prediction of children's learning with an individual measure of intelligence and teachers' evaluations. Eight abstract and eight concrete nouns were paired with nonsense geometric figures and presented to 60 elementary school children in a three-trial paired-associate (PA) learning task. Subjects' IQ scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised and teachers' ratings of learning proficiency were used to predict children's performance on the PA task. Multiple correlations favored abstract learning with verbal scale intelligence, accounting for the majority of the variability. Teachers' ratings provided a surprising degree of predictive efficiency for abstract recall which was redundant with verbal intelligence.     

The effects of realism on Wason's THOG problem

Summary In this series of experiments the effects of phrasing Wason's THOG problem in realistic terms were investigated. Experiments 1 and 2 used realistic materials of very different kinds, but neither version of the problem produced any facilitation compared with the original abstract version. Experiment 3 used a version of the problem in which the correct answer was cued in by the realistic material, and a significant improvement was found. Experiment 4 used a version of the problem similar to that used in Experiment 3 and again improved performance was found; since the subjects in this experiment were eight- and nine-year-old children, the facilitation almost certainly was not the result of improved logical ability. The results of Experiment 5, however, suggested that it was difficult to cue in adults to give the logically incorrect answer. It is concluded that realism improves performance on this problem only when the realistic material cues in the correct answer from memory. A review of the research that makes use of other reasoning paradigms suggests that this conclusion may hold true for these as well.     

Tremor Frequencies

In an attempt to improve logical reasoning performances, 64 introductory psychology students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental condition involved solving logic syllogisms when the obvious “logical error” was not included as a possible answer. Control subjects solved the same problems with the “logical error” included as a choice. An analysis of variance procedure applied to the subjects' logic pretest-posttest gain scores indicated that the experimental group did significantly better than the control group on invalid principles. The results were discussed in terms of Piaget's theory of logical thinking and the possibility of performance rather than competence problems in adult reasoning. The need to develop more effective instructional techniques to enhance transfer of learning was underscored.     

The Balance-Scale Dilemma: Either the Subject or the Experimenter Muddles Through

We examined two critiques of rule-assessment methodology: (a) the method does not take into consideration other rules that subjects use to solve problems, and (b) its multiple-choice format misrepresents subjects' cognitive level. In Study 1, high school students completed a paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice balance scale questionnaire. Their performance was assessed with Siegler's original rules and a revised set of rules that included an addition and a qualitative proportionality rule. Results showed that Siegler's Rule 3 was not homogeneous and that distinguishing specific patterns of answers among Rule 3 subjects increased the diagnostic value of the rule-assessment methodology. In Study 2, we compared rule-assessment methodology to the Piagetian clinical model. High school students solved balance-scale problems within each method. Results indicated an overall match between Piagetian levels and Siegler's rules, with the exception of Rule 3, suggesting again the pertinence of specifying alternative rules.     

Perceived self-efficacy and everyday problem solving among young and older adults

This research tested the hypothesis that age differences in both self-efficacy perceptions and problem-solving performance would vary as a function of the ecological relevance of problems to young and older adults. The authors developed novel everyday problem-solving stimuli that were ecologically representative of problems commonly confronted by young adults (young-adult problems), older adults (older adult problems), or both (common problems). Performance on an abstract problem solving task lacking in ecological representativeness (the Tower of Hanoi problem) also was examined. Although young persons had higher self-efficacy beliefs and performance levels on the Tower of Hanoi task problem and the young-adult problems, this pattern reversed in the domain of older adult problems, where the self-efficacy beliefs and performance of older persons exceeded those of the young.     

Developmental patterns in the encoding and combination of logical connectives

A total of 224 subjects in grades 2, 4, 6, 8, high school, and college solved problems requiring comprehension of the logical connectives and, or, if-then, only if, and if and only if, as well as the terms is and is not. Half the subjects were required merely to encode the connectives; the other half were required to combine as well as encode them. Problems were presented in two replications (over two sessions) via two different content vehicles. Quantitative analyses revealed significant effects of task, age, session, and connective, with comprehension of different connectives developing at different rates. In general, comprehension of the conjunctive connective was easiest; comprehension of the conditional and biconditional connectives was most difficult. Qualitative analyses indicated just how the logical connectives were interpreted at each grade level, and also investigated individual differences within each grade level.     

Priming divergent thinking promotes logical reasoning in 6- to 8-year olds: But more for high than low SES students

Divergent thinking is a component of creativity. In the following study, we argue that this form of thinking also underlies logical reasoning. A total of 205 early elementary school children in Grades 1 and 2, from high and moderately low SES environments, were given a short-term prime for divergent thinking and simple reasoning problems. Overall, receiving this prime significantly improved logical reasoning at both grade levels. High and low SES students had similar levels of working memory, inhibitory control, performance on the divergent thinking task, and levels of logical reasoning without the prime. However, also consistent with our predictions, only high SES students showed overall improved logical reasoning following the divergent thinking prime, with the SES difference concentrated in the younger students. These results suggest that environmental differences in openness to alternatives and divergent thinking might underlie developing SES differences in levels of logical thinking.     

Learning With Real Machines or Diagrams: Application of Knowledge to Real-World Problems

In this study, we investigated how learning from different media, either from real pulley systems or from simple line diagrams, affected mechanical learning and problem solving. Novice subjects learned about pulley systems by comparing the efficiency of different systems and receiving feedback on their accuracy. The main outcome measures were subjects' ability to compare pulley system efficiency, their level of mechanical reasoning, and their ability to apply knowledge of system efficiency and construction details. Experiment 1 showed that (a) subjects learning with the two types of media made equal improvement on the learning task, and (b) all subjects showed an increase in quantitative understanding as they learned, but (c) subjects who learned hands-on, by manipulating real pulley systems, solved application problems more accurately than those who learned from diagrams. Experiment 2 showed that both the realism of the stimuli and the opportunity to manipulate systems contributed to the improved performance on application problems.     

Natural and contrived experience in a reasoning problem

This study is concerned with the effects of prior experience on a deceptive reasoning problem. In the first experiment the subjects (students) were presented with the problem after they had experienced its logical structure. This experience was, on the whole, ineffective in allowing subsequent insight to be gained into the problem. In the second experiment the problem was presented in “thematic” form to one group, and in abstract form to the other group. Ten out of 16 subjects solved it in the thematic group, as opposed to 2 out of 16 in the abstract group. Three hypotheses are proposed to account for this result.     

The Analytic Principle and Attitude: Mobilizing Psychoanalytic Knowledge to Maximize Social Work Students' Practice Competence

Although psychoanalytic approaches have been marginalized in the foundations of contemporary clinical social work practice, there are core themes in various psychoanalytic theories that can be made accessible to maximize students’ practice competence. We elucidate the psychoanalytic principle of unconsciousness as well as the analytic attitude of inquisitive listening and its components. Using vignettes, we demonstrate how we teach this attitude in bachelor's in social work (BSW) and master's in social work (MSW) classrooms. This approach can help students begin to think and listen psychoanalytically. It offers them a way to better understand the person beyond the symptoms.     

Capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) use positive, but not negative, auditory cues to infer food location

Nonhuman primates appear to capitalize more effectively on visual cues than corresponding auditory versions. For example, studies of inferential reasoning have shown that monkeys and apes readily respond to seeing that food is present (“positive” cuing) or absent (“negative” cuing). Performance is markedly less effective with auditory cues, with many subjects failing to use this input. Extending recent work, we tested eight captive tufted capuchins (Cebus apella) in locating food using positive and negative cues in visual and auditory domains. The monkeys chose between two opaque cups to receive food contained in one of them. Cup contents were either shown or shaken, providing location cues from both cups, positive cues only from the baited cup, or negative cues from the empty cup. As in previous work, subjects readily used both positive and negative visual cues to secure reward. However, auditory outcomes were both similar to and different from those of earlier studies. Specifically, all subjects came to exploit positive auditory cues, but none responded to negative versions. The animals were also clearly different in visual versus auditory performance. Results indicate that a significant proportion of capuchins may be able to use positive auditory cues, with experience and learning likely playing a critical role. These findings raise the possibility that experience may be significant in visually based performance in this task as well, and highlight that coming to grips with evident differences between visual versus auditory processing may be important for understanding primate cognition more generally.     

Detection of Cognitive Structure with Protocol Data: Predicting Performance on Physics Transfer Problems

This article presents a cognitive map proposed to be associated with understanding of the “system concept,” one component of the physics principle of Newton's second low. A definition of the concept is followed by the results of a problem-solving experiment designed to investigate whether or not good problem solvers possess cognitive structures similar to the one proposed. Think-aloud protocols were collected as subjects solved a series of physics problems involving Newton's second law. Coding schemes were used to analyze these protocols and to develop a quantitative index intended to reflect the extent to which subjects possessed certain components of the proposed structure. This index proved a highly significant predictor of performance on Newton's second law transfer problems contained in a written exam. In contrast, performance on a set of familiar problems in the same written exam was not a good predictor of performance on transfer problems. These results indicate that cognitive structures that connect the equation ΣF = ma and the concept of choosing appropriate systems are at least part of what constitutes understanding of the principle of Newton's second law. Implications for physics education and problem-solving research are presented.     

Effects of meaning training on overcoming functional fixedness

Functional fixedness (FF) consists in focusing on some function of an object while overlooking another necessary for problem solving. Assuming that FF occurs when too few meanings are assigned to the major problem aspects, it was hypothesized that widening the scope of meaning would reduce FF, particularly in subjects providing more responses. The task was completing two electrical circuits. Meaning training consisted in requesting the subjects to provide responses to questions reflecting 11 meaning variables concerning three referents of the task. The subjects were 64 high school girls about 15 years old, only half of whom got meaning training. The results showed that meaning training reduced FF: the experimental subjects solved the target task faster, especially if they assigned more direct or indirect function responses to the target referents. Discussion centered on the effects of specific and nonspecific meaning training on different phases of problem solving. This study is based partly on the data presented by the first author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at the Department of Psychology, Tel Aviv University.     

L'avenir de l'approche par élaboration de règles

The goal of this study is the elaboration of a computerized diagnostic instrument based on Siegler's rule-assessment approach for assessing the acquisition of the probability quantification scheme in subjects aged 6–18 years. Three versions of the test were used. Version 1 was Siegler's original version (four types of problems and four rules). In version 2 five new rules were added; version 3 contained the five new rules plus eleven types of problems. Results show that version 1 allows the classification of only 50% of subjects; version 2, 60%; and version 3, 70%. Despite improved versions, some weaknesses remain, the most important one being that it is still impossible to evaluate intra-individual variability. Aware of these limits, Siegler has reassigned his model to a local model of problem solving, and suggests a developmental model of information processing inspired by a Darwinian model of variation and strategy selection. The authors hypothesize that computer engineering could not only reaffirm the general status of the rule-assessment approach, but could also allow consideration of intra-individual variability.