The Growth of Flexible Problem Solving: Learning to Adapt to Changing Verbal and Non-Verbal Tasks

灵活解决问题的增长：学习适应不断变化的言语和非言语任务

• 批准号: 0092027
• 负责人: Gedeon Deak
• 金额: $ 19.8万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-01 至 2004-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0092027&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Growth; Flexible; Problem; Solving; Learning

AbstractThe Growth of Flexible Problem Solving: Lewarning to Adapt to Changing Verbal and Non-Verbal TasksGedeon O. Deak How do children adapt to changing problems and tasks? The proposed research will investigate preschoolers' ability to shift problem-solving strategies in response to changing task demands. There is evidence that this is difficult for many 2- to 6-year-olds, and this has implications for early education because success in school-even in kindergarten-requires adapting to changing tasks. Three cognitive processes might be critical determinants of preschoolers' problem solving flexibility: deciding what information is relevant to the task-at-hand, monitoring changing task demands, and suppressing responses that are no longer appropriate. This raises several questions. First, is flexible problem solving a general skill that rests on these three processes, or does flexibility vary domain by domain according to specific skills and knowledge? This investigation will utilize a new non-verbal flexibility test-a non-verbal analogue of existing, verbal tests-to assess generalized developmental changes in children's flexibility. Second, are there pervasive individual differences in children's flexibility? Do they reflect stable cognitive profiles? Children will complete a battery of flexibility tests, as well as several tests of cognitive skills that might predict problem solving abilities. Third, can we influence children's flexibility by manipulating their strategic response when task demands change? Several studies will experimentally influence, for example, the salience of contextual cues that a task has changed. A related study will train preschoolers to notice changes in task demands, and assess their ability to generalize this strategy to new tests of flexibility. Together these studies will illuminate the development of a critical high-level cognitive skill: Ability to adapt to changing problems.

灵活问题解决的成长：学会适应不断变化的语言和非语言任务。孩子们如何适应不断变化的问题和任务？ 本研究将探讨学龄前儿童因应任务需求改变而转换问题解决策略的能力。 有证据表明，这对许多2- 6岁的孩子来说是困难的，这对早期教育有影响，因为在学校的成功，即使是在幼儿园，需要适应不断变化的任务。 三个认知过程可能是学龄前儿童问题解决灵活性的关键决定因素：决定什么信息与手头的任务相关，监控不断变化的任务要求，抑制不再合适的反应。 这就提出了几个问题。 首先，灵活解决问题是一种依赖于这三个过程的一般技能，还是根据特定的技能和知识，灵活性随领域而变化？ 这项调查将利用一种新的非语言的灵活性测试，现有的非语言的模拟，口头测试，以评估儿童的灵活性的一般发展变化。 第二，儿童的灵活性是否存在普遍的个体差异？ 它们是否反映了稳定的认知特征？ 孩子们将完成一系列灵活性测试，以及几项可能预测解决问题能力的认知技能测试。 第三，当任务要求改变时，我们是否可以通过操纵儿童的策略反应来影响他们的灵活性？ 一些研究将实验影响，例如，上下文线索的显着性，一个任务已经改变。 一项相关的研究将训练学龄前儿童注意任务要求的变化，并评估他们将这种策略推广到新的灵活性测试的能力。 这些研究将共同阐明一种关键的高级认知技能的发展：适应不断变化的问题的能力。