Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Problem-Solving

Problem-Solving

Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:

Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Stage 3 of Cognitive Development

During Piaget's concrete operational stage, from ages 7 to 11, children exhibit a marked increase in logical thinking skills, specifically in relation to tangible, real-world events. This stage is characterized by the development of several essential cognitive concepts, including conservation, reversibility, and classification, all of which support the child's evolving capacity for structured thought.
Conservation and Constancy of Quantity
A significant cognitive milestone in the concrete...

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...

Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Stage 2 of Cognitive Development

The preoperational stage, the second of Jean Piaget's four stages of cognitive development, spans approximately ages 2 to 7 and is characterized by the emergence of symbolic thinking. During this stage, children use language, images, and symbols to represent objects and concepts, enabling them to engage in imaginative and pretend play. This symbolic thinking supports children's ability to perform make-believe actions, such as imagining a broom as a horse or their hand as a phone, blending...

Information Processing Approach

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...

Solving Problems in Physics

Solving Problems in Physics

Problem-solving is the ability to apply general physical principles to specific situations, usually expressed by equations. It is an essential skill in physics, and can also be useful for applying physics in everyday life as well. Analytical skills and problem-solving abilities can be applied to new situations, compared to a list of facts, which can never be extensive enough to include every possible circumstance. To solve physics problems, a certain amount of creativity and insight is...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Data on Connection With the Natural Environment and Its Impact on Mental Health Among Allotment and Non-Allotment Owners.

Journal of open psychology data·2025

Same author

The small world of shakespeare's plays.

Human nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.)·2015

Same author

Centrality in children's best friend networks: the role of social behaviour.

The British journal of developmental psychology·2013

Same author

Examining the components of children's peer liking as antecedents of school adjustment.

The British journal of developmental psychology·2012

Same author

Children's patterns of reasoning about reading and addition concepts.

The British journal of developmental psychology·2010

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Published on: August 28, 2021

Patterns of problem-solving in children's literacy and arithmetic.

Lee Farrington-Flint¹, Sophie Vanuxem-Cotterill, James Stiller

¹Division of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. lee.farringtonflint@ntu.ac.uk

The British Journal of Developmental Psychology

|December 10, 2009

Summary

Children aged 5-7 years flexibly adapt problem-solving strategies in reading, spelling, addition, and subtraction. They progress from basic counting and phonological methods to more efficient retrieval strategies over time.

More Related Videos

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Published on: July 18, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Multimedia Battery for Assessment of Cognitive and Basic Skills in Mathematics (BM-PROMA)

Published on: August 28, 2021

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Problem-Solving Before Instruction (PS-I): A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Universal Screening for Prevention of Reading, Writing, and Math Disabilities in Spanish

Published on: July 18, 2020

Area of Science:

Cognitive Development
Educational Psychology
Childhood Learning

Background:

Children's problem-solving skills develop dynamically during early education.
Understanding strategy use in literacy and arithmetic is crucial for pedagogical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine problem-solving strategy patterns in 5-to-7-year-olds across literacy and arithmetic tasks.
To investigate the developmental progression of strategy sophistication.
To identify distinct profiles of problem-solving skills.

Main Methods:

Utilized verbal self-reports to monitor strategy selection in reading, spelling, addition, and subtraction tasks.
Employed cluster analyses to identify patterns in problem-solving skills.
Tracked strategy changes from Year 1 to Year 2.

Main Results:

Arithmetic tasks exhibited greater strategy variability than literacy tasks.
Children demonstrated a developmental shift from procedural (e.g., counting, phonological) to retrieval strategies.
A strong positive association was found between advanced problem-solving skills in arithmetic and literacy.

Conclusions:

Early elementary children display flexible strategy use across diverse academic domains.
Problem-solving proficiency in arithmetic correlates with proficiency in literacy.
Further research into variations in problem-solving across educational contexts is warranted.