The effects of informational complexity and working memory on problem-solving efficiency

This study investigated the influence of informational complexity and working memory capacity on problem-solving efficiency. We examined two predictions of thesituational efficiency hypothesis, which states that the efficiency of problem solving varies as a function of situational constraints. One prediction is that informational complexity affects problem-solving efficiency. A second prediction is that working memory capacity affects problem-solving efficiency. Students completed a working memory task and solved abstract and concrete syllogisms. Participants solved abstract syllogisms more accurately than concrete syllogisms and spent more time solving abstract syllogisms. Thus participants demonstrated greater problem-solving efficiency when solving concrete syllogisms. Results indicate that there is a trade-off between problem-solving accuracy and problem-solving time when information differs with respect to informational complexity, a phenomenon we refer to as theefficiency paradox. Working memory capacity did not affect accuracy or efficiency. The results support the conclusion that problem-solving efficiency is situational and a function of the complexity of information. Educational implications and directions for future research are suggested.

[1]  K. Gilhooly,et al.  Thinking: Directed, Undirected, and Creative , 1982 .

[2]  A. Baddeley.  Human Memory: Theory and Practice, Revised Edition , 1990 .

[3]  L. Siegel,et al.  Short-term memory, working memory, and inhibitory control in children with difficulties in arithmetic problem solving. , 2001, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[4]  Richard E. Mayer,et al.  Multimedia Learning , 2001, Visible Learning Guide to Student Achievement.

[5]  Jamie I. D. Campbell,et al.  Cognitive arithmetic across cultures. , 2001, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[6]  Jennifer Wiley,et al.  Effects of working memory capacity on mental set due to domain knowledge , 2007, Memory & cognition.

[7]  Randall W Engle,et al.  Working memory, short-term memory, and general fluid intelligence: a latent-variable approach. , 1999, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[8]  John R. Anderson,et al.  Skill Acquisition: Compilation of Weak-Method Problem Solutions. , 1987 .

[9]  Barbara S. Plake,et al.  Cognitive capacity differences among writers , 1984 .

[10]  F. Paas,et al.  Cognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design: Recent Developments , 2003 .

[11]  A. Vandierendonck,et al.  Model construction and elaboration in spatial linear syllogisms , 2000 .

[12]  E. Mory.  The use of informational feedback in instruction: Implications for future research , 1992 .

[13]  D. Copeland.  Theories of categorical reasoning and extended syllogisms , 2006 .

[14]  Géry d'Ydewalle,et al.  Strategies and tactics in deductive reasoning , 2000 .

[15]  Olejnik,et al.  Measures of Effect Size for Comparative Studies: Applications, Interpretations, and Limitations. , 2000, Contemporary educational psychology.

[16]  Philip N. Johnson-Laird,et al.  Reasoning by model: The case of multiple quantification. , 1989 .

[17]  S. Ian Robertson,et al.  Problem-solving , 2001, Human Thinking.

[18]  A. Baddeley,et al.  Working Memory: The multiple-component model , 1999 .

[19]  L. Ball,et al.  Working Memory, Metacognitive Uncertainty, and Belief Bias in Syllogistic Reasoning , 2000, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology. A, Human experimental psychology.

[20]  R. Mayer,et al.  Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning , 2003 .

[21]  Andrew R. A. Conway,et al.  On the capacity of attention: Its estimation and its role in working memory and cognitive aptitudes , 2005, Cognitive Psychology.

[22]  P. Chandler,et al.  Assimilating complex information , 2002 .

[23]  Jessica I. Fleck,et al.  Working memory demands in insight versus analytic problem solving , 2008 .

[24]  Lawrence Butler,et al.  'History: Theory and Practice' , 1997 .

[25]  R. Engle,et al.  Individual differences in working memory capacity and what they tell us about controlled attention, general fluid intelligence, and functions of the prefrontal cortex. , 1999 .

[26]  H. Lee Swanson,et al.  Cross-Sectional and Incremental Changes in Working Memory and Mathematical Problem Solving. , 2006 .

[27]  R. Bruning.  Cognitive Psychology and Instruction , 1998 .

[28]  Robert H. Logie,et al.  Syllogistic Reasoning Tasks, Working Memory, and Skill , 1999 .

[29]  P. Broek,et al.  The effects of reading purpose and working memory capacity on the processing of expository text. , 2002 .

[30]  M. Just,et al.  From the SelectedWorks of Marcel Adam Just 1992 A capacity theory of comprehension : Individual differences in working memory , 2017 .

[31]  D. Bjorklund,et al.  The interaction of knowledge, aptitude, and strategies in children's memory performance. , 1996, Advances in child development and behavior.

[32]  R. Mayer,et al.  Multimedia Learning: The Promise of Multimedia Learning , 2001 .

[33]  P N Johnson-Laird,et al.  Deductive reasoning. , 1999, Annual review of psychology.

[34]  Gabriel Radvansky,et al.  Working memory and syllogistic reasoning , 2004, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology. A, Human experimental psychology.

[35]  Jeffrey J. Walczyk,et al.  Time Restriction and the Linkage between Subcomponent Efficiency and Algebraic Inequality Success. , 2006 .

[36]  Allen Newell,et al.  Human Problem Solving. , 1973 .

[37]  R. Slavin.  Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice , 1986 .

[38]  Don Steinberg,et al.  Deductive reasoning , 1989 .

[39]  Eddy J. Davelaar,et al.  Individual differences in semantic short-term memory capacity and reading comprehension , 2003 .

[40]  John D. Bransford,et al.  The ideal problem solver. A guide for improving thinking, learning, and creativity , 1984 .

[41]  A. Miyake,et al.  Models of Working Memory: Mechanisms of Active Maintenance and Executive Control , 1999 .

[42]  Jacqueline P. Leighton.  Teaching and Assessing Deductive Reasoning Skills , 2006 .

[43]  D. Bjorklund.  Children's thinking : cognitive development and individual differences / David F. Bjorklund , 2005 .

[44]  Rocky Ross,et al.  Mental models , 2004, SIGA.

[45]  W. Kintsch,et al.  Are Good Texts Always Better? Interactions of Text Coherence, Background Knowledge, and Levels of Understanding in Learning From Text , 1996 .

[46]  J. Sweller.  COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY, LEARNING DIFFICULTY, AND INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN , 1994 .

[47]  Michael F. Bunting,et al.  Working memory span tasks: A methodological review and user’s guide , 2005, Psychonomic bulletin & review.

[48]  P. Carpenter,et al.  Individual differences in working memory and reading , 1980 .