The 20th annual Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009.

The Three-Headed Problem Solver: Group Cognition and its Effects on Processing and Memory of Relevant and Irrelevant Components
Norris 102, 9:45 AM

Christina  Poulin,   '09 45
   Major: Psychology (Neuroscience)
   Hometown: Carmel, IN

Sponsor(s): Mareike Wieth
Support: FURSCA

Abstract: 
Collaborative problem solving occurs when people combine their efforts to find a solution. Research on math problems has shown that collaborative problem solving can lead to higher solve rates (Wiley and Jensen, 2006). This study was designed to investigate the effect of collaborative problem solving on the processing and memory of word-problems. Participants solved a problem set in either a triad or solo problem solving setting, and then individually completed evaluations of problem components. More specifically, participants rated how relevant they thought each component was to finding the solution and how certain they were that each component was in the problem they were asked to solve. It was hypothesized that participants in the group condition would rate the relevant components as more important and remember the information better than those in the solo setting, leading to higher solve rates. The opposite results were predicted for the irrelevant components.

Results showed that participants in the group condition had higher solve rates and were more likely to rate relevant components as important to finding the solution than those in the solo condition. The opposite pattern was found for irrelevant components. Results of the memory assessment showed that participants in the group condition were more likely to remember relevant components than solo condition participants. The reverse pattern was again seen for the irrelevant components. These findings indicate that group problem solving may lead to more focused processing of specific components than solo problem solving.

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