Problem solving, recall, and isomorphic transfer among third-grade and sixth-grade children

Abstract

Analogical reasoning processes were studied in third- and sixth-grade children. One group at each grade level received two analogs of the “farmer's dilemma”, a scheduling problem that requires seven moves for solution, during acquisition. Other groups received one analog or only a transfer task. On each trial the child heard a list of statements representing the exact series of moves necessary to solve the problem, was immediately asked to recall the list, materials representing the problem were then produced, and the child was asked to show how to solve it. A trial was terminated and a new one begun when an error was made on the physical task. Following criterial performance all children were transferred to an isomorphic analog and simply instructed to solve it. Third-graders in the two-analog condition required more trials in acquisition than the other groups, which did not differ from each other. Transfer was better following two analogs, but was unaffected by grade level. Grade level affected recall accuracy, but recall accuracy was not a good predictor of transfer performance. Trial-by-trial analyses suggested that propositions representing the solution are acquired piecemeal, but consolidation of the generalizable problem representation is abrupt.