1st Edition

How Children Discover New Strategies

By Robert Siegler, Eric A. Jenkins Copyright 1989
    156 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    156 Pages
    by Psychology Press

    This well-documented book divides the process of constructing new problem-solving strategies into two parts: discovery of the new strategy, and its generalization to new contexts. By using a trial-by-trial analysis, the authors are able to identify the exact trial on which the new strategy is first used, the circumstances that lead to the discovery, and the generalization of the strategy beyond its initial use. These observations disconfirm popular stereotypes of the discovery process and provide important insights into the nature of long-term learning and strategy discovery.

    Contents: Strategy Discovery and Strategy Generalization. Strategy Choices and the Development of Arithmetic Skills. A Study of Strategy Construction. Case Studies. General Conclusions.

    Biography

    Carnegie-Mellon University.

    "This work should serve to generate testable hypotheses and to provide useful constraints on future models of strategy construction."
    Contemporary Psychology