Exploring Cognitive Development: The Child As Problem Solver

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

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