Collaboration as a facilitator of planning and problem solving on a computer‐based task

Recent concern in the developmental psychology literature with peer facilitation of children's learning is matched by a corresponding concern in the cognitive science literature with user-user interactions in the context of computer use. A study is reported in which 11-year-old children (N = 39) worked over three successive sessions on a problem-solving task making heavy demands on planning and information handling, implemented in HyperCard. Children worked on the computer either in pairs or individually on the first two sessions, and all worked individually on the third. By the second session, the performance of the pairs was significantly superior to that of the individuals. On the final session, with a slightly modified task, those who had previously worked in pairs showed a substantial advantage. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.