Exploring cognitive development

Exploring cognitive development

Exploring cognitive development: The child as problem solver ALISON F. GARTON

2004 by Alison F. Garton 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Alison F. Garton to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published 2004 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Garton, Alison, 1952- Exploring cognitive development : the child as problem solver / Alison F. Garton. 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-631-23457-8 (alk. paper) ISBN 0-631-23458-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Problem solving in children. I. Title. BF723.P8G37 2004 155.4 1343 dc22 2003017215 A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library. Set in Rottis Serif by SNP Best-set Typesetter Ltd., Hong Kong Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by MPG Books, Bodmin, Cornwall For further information on Blackwell Publishing, visit our website: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com

Contents Preface vii 1: Introduction 1 Problem Solving 3 Social Explanations for Cognitive Change 6 Change in the Context of Interactive/Collaborative Problem Solving 9 Domain Specific Knowledge 10 Children s Potential to Change 11 Theories of Mind 13 The Way Forward 14 2: Theoretical Overview 15 Piaget and Vygotsky: Is There Any Common Ground? 17 Peer Interaction: Various Perspectives 23 Implications for Piagetian and Vygotskian Theories 33 Research on Collaboration: Beyond Social Interaction 34 Sociocultural Theory 36 Dynamic Systems 41 Nature of the Problem to be Solved 42 How Else Can Problem Solving be Described and Explained? 43 3: Strategy Use and Learning in Problem Solving 44 Domains 45 Domains as Constraints on Cognitive Development 48 Innateness and Domain-specificity 49

vi CONTENTS Domains and the Social Environment 52 Strategy Choice 53 Learning New Strategies 66 4: Social Problem Solving 69 Peer Interaction and Problem Solving: A Theoretical Conundrum 70 Peer Interaction in the Classroom 77 Peer Interaction and Adult Child Interaction 79 Theory of Mind and Problem Solving 80 Self-regulation in Problem Solving 84 Help Seeking in Problem Solving 87 The Role of Talk in Collaborative Problem Solving 89 Conclusion 94 5: What the Child Brings to the Task 96 Readiness to Benefit from Interaction 97 Cognitive Flexibility 97 Friendship and Sociability 106 Motivation to Collaborate 117 6: Summary, Review and implications 120 What and How Revisited 121 Difficulties Yet to Be Surmounted 124 Implications 126 References 129 Author Index 136 Subject Index 138

Preface This book uses the example of the child as problem solver to explore theoretical issues in cognitive development. Problem solving is taken as a microcosm for children s learning, and, specifically, collaborative problem solving is the main vehicle through which children s cognitive development can be examined. The collaborative problem solving context enables exploration of a range of contemporary theoretical perspectives that can account for children s thinking and learning. The research that has informed this volume is large and disparate. Locally, I have benefited from the enthusiasm of students conducting research on the topic, which, to their amazement, always works in so far as children demonstrate learning during the course of the experiment. Much of their work is described in this book. I have also enjoyed robust discussions on the topic with Bob Reeve at the University of Melbourne and Robin Harvey at Edith Cowan University. Thanks also to Mary Edwards for her research assistance. This book is intended for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students studying children s cognitive development or learning in either psychology or education programmes. It is relevant for a contemporary view of theoretical perspectives that describe and explain learning in collaborative contexts. It is not an exhaustive review but rather a selective exploration of how one paradigm can be informed by, and contribute to, a variety of explanatory theories. It is also a journey from a personal view of interaction being the key to average improvement in problem solving skills to an individual difference view, taking into account the existing abilities of the child as they directly or indirectly influence the nature of the collaboration and of the learning. Alison Garton September 2003