Individual differences in problem-solving have been studied from both information-processing and developmental psychology perspectives. The purpose of the present research was to use an information-processing approach to investigate the effects of both age and intelligence on the performances by young persons on experimental tasks which required systematic application of appropriate solution rules. Eighty 10- and 15-year-old subjects were assigned to one of eight groups on the bases of their ages, sex, and intelligence levels. The testing condition was the same for all groups. Stimulus materials consisted of a two-pan balance and a variety of different-density cubes. Subjects' responses to the materials were their predictions of equilibrium or imbalance. Correct solutions required understanding of the physical science concepts of volume and density, and the mathematics concept of proportionality. From analysis of variance performed on the data, it was found that males and females did not differ in their abilities to problem-solve. The highly-intelligent subjects had a greater frequency of correct responses in both age groups, and the older subjects outperformed younger subjects. The equilibrium problems presented in the study were of six separate types, and the interaction effects in the data revealed that the six types were of varying levels of difficulty. It was in the analyses of the subjects' patterns of responses to the several types that the most theoretically interesting results appeared. Examination of the response patterns led to assignment of the respondents to categories of probable rule-usage. The less sophisticated problem-solvers did not take density into account and consistently relied on their knowledge of the volume concept in making their decisions. Solvers functioning at higher rule-levels were able to consider density as well before making their predictions, although a substantial number failed to use cues present in the experiment to reckon the respective densities correctly. Fully-functional problem-solvers gave responses which showed their mastery of the mathematics of proportionality. Twenty-four subjects participated in a second experiment which was a short demonstration-oriented training study providing feedback, although the algorithm for correct problem solution was not directly taught. Results were discussed in terms of the efficacy of the rule-usage model.

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Magister Educationis - MEd / Problem-solving in Mathematics is an important skill. The poor performance of South African learners in international tests such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and in schools in general indicates that emphasis should be placed on problem-solving in the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The new national senior certificate curriculum in South Africa encourages group work amongst learners. The thesis proposes that learning is enhanced in a small-group setting, since learners actively engage with the problems. Furthermore, Euclidean Geometry is perceived by learners to be a „difficult‟ section of Mathematics. However, Geometry is important since the skills acquired while doing Geometry can be applied to various fields of study. This research focused on Geometry problem-solving in collaborative small-group settings. An inductive approach was taken that focused on what learners were doing while they were doing problem-solving in geometry in collaborative groups. Problem-solving is viewed as a situated and contextually-determined activity. The research focused on how learners appropriated tools (physical as well as intellectual) and how they interacted with one other and the subject matter. The socio-cultural perspective was the theoretical framework underpinning the study. In this perspective, learning is seen as a social process in which learners actively participate and contribute with ideas and arguments. In addition, learning is seen as a situated activity. The research was carried out in the form of a case study that focused on three groups of three learners each, from a secondary school in Khayelitsha, a township approximately 30 km outside Cape Town, South Africa. The small groups were monitored and observed in a school setting and special attention was given to their interaction within their group, given their social and cultural context. The ethnographic approach to data gathering, which allows for the routine, everyday, taken-for-granted aspects of school and classroom life, was used. Data were collected by means of audio and video recordings, interviews with learners and teacher observations. The data analysis included analysis of field notes, audio and video transcripts and learners‟ written work. The data were analysed in terms of Pickering‟s theory that all scientific practice is a “dialectic of resistance and accommodation” and that this constitutes a “mangle of practice” (Pickering, 1995).

"The purpose of this study was to investigate the conjecture that instruction in the strategies of Pattern Discovery, Trial and Error, Working Backward, Contradiction, Substitution, and Use of Diagrams would result in the development of problem-solving ability and that students under this instruction are likely to exhibit better achievement than students who do not receive explicit instruction in problem-solving strategies"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1985." / "Submitted to the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." / Advisor: Eugene D. Nichols, Professor Directing Dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-85).

This research extends a tradition of distributed theories of mind into the implementation of a distributed problem solver. In this problem solver a number of ideas from Minsky's Society of Mind are implemented and are found to provide powerful abstractions for the programming of distributed systems. These abstractions are the cauldron, a mechanism for instantiating reasoning contexts, the frame, a way of modularly describing those contexts and the goal-node, a mechanism for bringing a particular context to bear on a specific task. The implementation of both these abstractions and the distributed problem solver in which they run is described, accompanied by examples of their application to various domains.

Scientific communnities have proven to be extremely successful at solving problems. They are inherently parallel systems and their macroscopic nature makes them amenable to careful study. In this paper the character of scientific research is examined drawing on sources in the philosophy and history of science. We maintain that the success of scientific research depends critically on its concurrency and pluralism. A variant of the language Ether is developed that embodies notions of concurrency necessary to emulate some of the problem solving behavior of scientific communities. Capabilities of scientific communities are discussed in parallel with simplified models of these capabilities in this language.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-188). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005. / Bibliography: leaves 41-44.