Children Problem Solving
Children Problem Solving - Related Videos
06:23
How Children Solve Problems Using Causal Reasoning
0 Views •
2023
Source: Laboratories of Judith Danovitch and Nicholaus Noles—University of Louisville Imagine a young child hears an adult say, “I want to watch the news,” then watches the adult press a button on the remote control. A moment later, the television screen turns on. The next day, the child wants to turn on the television screen to watch cartoons. How does the child know what to do? Is it enough to say, “I want to watch cartoons,” or is pushing the button on the remote control necessary, too?...
08:35
Are You Smart or Hardworking? How Praise Influences Children's Motivation
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Judith Danovitch and Nicholaus Noles—University of Louisville Imagine teaching two children how to skate. It is a hard task for both of them, and they fall down frequently. After falling down for the first time, one child says that skating is too hard and wants to go home. The other child seems to enjoy the challenge and eagerly gets back up after falling down each time. Why do the children have such different attitudes about the same task? One reason may be that they...
09:05
Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)
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Cited by 26 •
2017
Working memory predicts a significant amount of variance for a variety of cognitive tasks, including speaking, reading, and writing. However, few tools are available to assess working memory in children. We present an innovative, computer-based battery that comprehensively assesses different components of working memory in school-age children.
09:03
Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
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Cited by 93 •
2012
Eye tracking has long been used to study gaze patterns in typically-developing individuals, but recent technological advancements have made its use with clinical populations, including autism, more feasible. While eye-tracking young children with autism can offer insight into early symptom manifestations, it involves methodological challenges. Suggestions for best practices are provided.
07:02
Measuring Children's Trust in Testimony
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Judith Danovitch and Nicholaus Noles—University of Louisville How does a person learn about the world around them? One way is through direct observation and exploration. However, not every piece of information can be observed firsthand. Instead, a person must often rely on other people as information sources. This is particularly true for children who have so many questions about the world around them, yet have limited means of accessing the answers. Thus, children must...
FAQs
Executive functions help children hold a goal in mind, organize actions, monitor progress, and change strategy when an attempt does not work. These control processes connect reasoning with self-regulation: rather than repeating an unsuccessful response, a child can evaluate the outcome and adjust behavior. This makes problem solving more flexible and independent.
Representing a problem accurately influences which solutions a child can consider. Attention helps select relevant information, memory supports access to earlier experiences, and language helps organize or communicate the challenge and possible responses. Reasoning then supports comparison among options. Studying these interacting abilities helps explain why children may approach the same task differently.
An unsuccessful attempt can show children that a current strategy does not fit the problem, creating an opportunity to reconsider their actions. By testing another approach and evaluating its outcome, they can learn from errors rather than simply repeat them. This cycle contributes to flexible thinking, self-regulation, and increasingly independent decision-making.
Transfer occurs when children recognize that an effective approach may also apply to a different problem. Memory helps retain the earlier strategy, while reasoning and attention help identify relevant similarities in the new situation. Guided practice can strengthen this process by encouraging children to reflect on how and when a solution worked.
Psychologists can combine observations with structured tasks to examine how children represent challenges, generate possible responses, test strategies, and react to outcomes. Observations show how children approach problems in activity, whereas structured tasks provide a more consistent way to examine reasoning and strategy use. Together, these approaches inform research on cognitive development and individual differences.
Supportive play gives children opportunities to explore possible actions, while questioning can direct attention toward the challenge, available strategies, or resulting outcomes. Guided practice adds structured support as children learn to test approaches and adjust them. In educational and developmental settings, these methods can encourage flexible thinking and more independent decision-making.
Assessment can reveal differences in how children use attention, memory, reasoning, language, and executive functions while approaching a challenge. It may also show whether a child tests strategies, learns from errors, or transfers a successful approach. These observations help connect problem-solving behavior with broader questions about cognitive development, learning, and self-regulation.