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Results for “Problem Solving”

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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Problem solving as a core strategy in the prevention of schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To outline the rationale for implementing training in structured problem solving as a primary prevention strategy for major mental disorders. METHOD: The evidence that training people in a structured method of solving their personal problems is an effective strategy in the treatment of established cases of schizophrenic and major mood disorders, is selectively reviewed. RESULTS: Most of the relevant research focused on the prevention of major recurrent episodes of psychosis. There is some evidence to support the hypothesis that this strategy may assist many people to achieve a full and sustained recovery from the clinical and social impairments of these disorders, especially when patients are taught to use structured problem solving with members of their personal resource groups, and they continue to take optimal doses of psychoactive medication. There is support for the hypothesis that the key therapeutic factor associated with these benefits is the improved efficiency of the management of life stress. CONCLUSIONS: The simplicity of problem solving, the educational methods used, and the widespread application to a person's lifestyle would appear to make this a possible candidate for a primary prevention program for major mental disorders. Guidebooks and teaching aids have been developed and show excellent consumer acceptance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Adolescent stealers' and nonstealers' social problem-solving skills.

Eleven adolescents with a history of stealing in the past year were compared to 11 nonstealers on social problem-solving skills. The stealers showed a tendency not to consider the passage of time necessary for solving social problems on the Means-Ends Problem Solving (MEPS) test. In addition, adolescents who exhibited delinquency tendencies, as measured by the Jesness Inventory, showed a cognitive bias for generating ineffective solutions to hypothetical social problems. Implications for treatment are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1981

Adult age differences on traditional and practical problem-solving measures.

Eighty-four adults between the ages of 20 and 79 were presented with two types of problem-solving tasks. One was a task that is typically used in problem-solving research and the other was a task composed of practical problems that adults might encounter in their daily lives. Performance on the two types of tasks exhibited different developmental functions across age. Performance on the traditional problem-solving task decreased linearly across the page while performance on the practical problems increased to a peak in the 40- and 50-year-old groups and decreased thereafter. The results indicate that the developmental function obtained for problem-solving during the adult years depends on the type of problems that are presented. While performance on the abstract type of problems typically employed in research may decrease with age during the adult years, performance on practical problems may exhibit a different relationship with age.

Adult↗

PubMed1995

Who's got the power? Gender differences in partners' perceptions of influence during marital problem-solving discussions.

Previous research on marital communication indicates that women have more influence in marital problem solving because they raise the issues and shape the discussion. Other studies suggest that men have the power in marital problem solving. This study re-examines power and influence from the partners' point of view. Twenty-seven couples-18 with a first child under 2, and 9 undecided about having children-were videotaped while working on a self-selected problem concerning their division of family labor. Data sources included: (a) transcribed audiotaped accounts given by each partner while viewing a videotape of their problem-solving discussion; (b) self-report questionnaires; and (c) ratings by a research team of the concordance between spouses' accounts. Husbands and wives were perceived as having a primary influence on different aspects of the discussion. Women tended to raise the issues and draw men out in the early phase of the discussion, while men controlled the content and emotional depth of the later discussion phases, and largely determined the outcome. The women's accounts emphasized that their influence in the early phase was often illusory: their behavior was shaped primarily by the effort to choose strategies that would avoid upsetting their husbands. In terms of overall satisfaction with marriage, wives had greater tolerance than their husbands for conflict in the area of division of domestic labor, but less tolerance for their husbands' domination of the discussion process. Women's marital satisfaction was higher when there was concordance between spouses in their accounts of their problem-solving discussion. This research highlights the importance of eliciting spouses' own perceptions and definitions in understanding the impact of gender-linked power differences in martial communication.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Problem solving and diabetes self-care.

An important objective of diabetes care is to provide patients with self-regulation skills. For patients to assume responsibility for their own regimens, they need to have good problem-solving skills to cope with ongoing personal, social, and environmental barriers to adherence. Therefore, a Diabetes Problem Solving Interview for adults was developed and evaluated with 126 non-insulin-dependent outpatients. Interviewers elicited problem-solving strategies patients would use to cope with a variety of situations potentially interfering with dietary, exercise, and glucose testing adherence. Interviews were tape recorded and coded by trained raters to produce scores on both overall problem-solving skill ratings and frequency of use of different types of strategies. Results revealed only minor influences of patient characteristics on problem-solving measures. Prospective analyses revealed that problem-solving measures were significant and independent predictors of levels of dietary and exercise self-care at a 6-month follow-up.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Verbal memory, problem-solving skills and community status in schizophrenia.

Neuropsychological deficits have been associated with poor community functioning in individuals with schizophrenia. Previous research suggests that verbal memory capacity is related to functional capacity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between verbal memory, problem-solving skills and community functioning, as measured by treatment status (inpatient vs. outpatient) in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Evaluations were done on 162 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, seen in inpatient (n=87) and outpatient settings (n=75). Verbal memory was assessed using narrative recall and list recall measures. Problem-solving skills for independent living were assessed using a social reasoning measure and a daily problem-solving skills measure. Better verbal memory performance was associated with better problem solving for independent living. However, inpatient vs. outpatient status was best determined by problem-solving skills for independent living rather than verbal memory performance. The results reveal the importance of daily problem-solving skills for community status in schizophrenia. Although verbal memory performance is associated with problem-solving skills for independent living, predictive probability of community status does not improve when memory performance is taken into account.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed2004

Having the memory of an elephant: long-term retrieval and the use of analogues in problem solving.

The authors report 4 experiments exploring long-term analogical transfer from problem solutions in folk tales participants heard during childhood, many years before encountering the target problems. Substantial culture-specific analogical transfer was found when American and Chinese participants' performance was compared on isomorphs of problems solved in European versus Chinese folk tales. There was evidence of transfer even among participants who did not report being reminded of the source tale while solving the target problem. Comparisons of different versions of a target problem indicated that similarity of solution tool affected accessing, mapping, and executing components of problem solving, whereas similarity of goal object had only a moderate effect on accessing. High school students also evidenced greater transfer than did middle school students.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The problem-oriented dental record: a key to dental hygiene treatment planning and the problem-solving model for dental hygiene practice.

The problem-solving model for dental hygiene practice requires careful assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation to provide quality dental hygiene care. To facilitate this problem-solving approach, a method of recording information in an organized and highly communicative manner must be established. This paper describes the components of a problem-oriented dental record used by students at the Vancouver Community College and discusses the benefits of using this tool in clinical practice.

Dental Hygienists↗

PubMed2000

Problem-solving skills of senior student nurses: an exploratory study using simulation.

The Stages Model of problem-solving as evidenced in the use of the nursing process is the key vehicle for the operationalisation of problem-solving in current nursing practice. An expanded variant of the model formed the theoretical framework for this study which aimed to explore and compare the problem-solving skills of senior student nurses (n=253) from three pre-registration nurse education programmes (RGN, diploma RN, integrated degree). Students' care planning skills were explored using a video-tape simulation exercise and data were subjected to statistical testing. Findings indicated a large range in the global care plan scores and while performance was similar in a number of areas independent of programme type, certain key differences also emerged. The findings are discussed in the wider context of professional education and practice and the potential for further development of problem-solving skills in pre-registration nurse education is explored.

Education, Nursing↗

PubMed1980

Task demands and problem-solving strategies in middle-aged and older adults.

Elderly individuals tend to use less efficient strategies on problem-solving tasks such as the Twenty Questions task than younger adults. Two studies were undertaken in an attempt to facilitate the problem-solving performance of elderly individuals by manipulating the demands of the problem-solving tasks. In the first study, problems that were so difficult as to be virtually insoluble without the use of an efficient strategy were compared with standard Twenty Questions problems. While middle-aged individuals tended to use an efficient strategy on both the difficult and the standard problems, elderly individuals tended to use an efficient strategy much more frequently on the difficult problems than on the standard problems. In the second study, problems with stimuli that were more easily classifiable than the standard stimuli were compared with standard Twenty Questions problems. Middle-aged individuals again tended to use an efficient strategy on both types of problems while elderly individuals tended to use an efficient strategy much more frequently on the problems with the easily classifiable stimuli. The fact that elderly individuals can use more efficient strategies under certain circumstances when they have not been given training in the use of such strategies suggests that the elderly have such strategies in their repertoires. It is not clear why they are less likely than younger adults to use efficient strategies in at least some problem-solving situations.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Interpersonal problem solving in preschool and first grade: developmental change and ecological validity.

Examined problem-solving strategies, their correlation with multiple-informant ratings of behavior problems and social competence, and developmental change over a 2-year period. Shure's (1999) model targets children's production of alternative solutions to interpersonal problems. Others have found that solution quality correlates more highly with adjustment. Children (N = 208, M age = 60 months) completed the Preschool Interpersonal Problem Solving (PIPS) task in Head Start and again 2 years later. Many children achieved substantial gains in problem-solving skill as measured by PIPS. The prosocial or forceful quality of children's responses correlated with observational, caregiver, and teacher ratings of behavior problems and social competence. Quality of response appeared more important than solution quantity in predicting ecologically valid behaviors, implying that interventions should concentrate on response content more than quantity.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2002

Dissociation between performance on abstract tests of executive function and problem solving in real-life-type situations in normal aging.

This study examined the effects of normal aging on real-life-type problem-solving performance, using problems that had previously been found to be sensitive to lesions involving the frontal lobes. Executive skills assessed on abstract neuropsychological tests tend to decrease with normal aging. The effects of aging on tasks reliant on everyday knowledge and experience are less well understood. In the present study, groups of healthy older and younger people were compared on ability to solve real-life-type problems covering a range of everyday interpersonal situations. Performance was also examined on a range of standardized neuropsychological tests involving executive skills. Older people were similar to younger people in most aspects of everyday problem-solving performance, although the older group appeared to use a different strategy to the younger group in generating potential problem solutions. Both groups performed normally for their age on the executive tests. Comparisons based on raw scores rather than age-adjusted scores showed the younger group to perform better on the executive tests, but not on the problem-solving task. The possible contribution of knowledge and experience to problem solving on the current task is discussed. The greater life experience of the older group is likely to be the biggest contributory factor in maintaining problem-solving performance.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Using hypermedia to improve the mathematics problem-solving skills of students with learning disabilities.

This article discusses current knowledge about teaching problem solving to students with learning disabilities (LD), using computers for teaching math to students with LD, and using computers for teaching problem solving to students with learning problems. Building upon identified effective learning strategies, direct instruction procedures, and principles of effective instructional design, the case is presented for the use of hypermedia in helping students with learning disabilities to improve their mathematics problem-solving abilities. Specific ideas and suggestions for applying hypermedia to cognitive strategy instruction and the graduated word problem sequence are given. Several cautions regarding hypermedia use are presented.

Child↗

PubMed2003

Preventing adolescent depression: an evaluation of the problem solving for life program.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Problem Solving For Life program as a universal approach to the prevention of adolescent depression. Short-term results indicated that participants with initially elevated depressions scores (high risk) who received the intervention showed a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms and increase in life problem-solving scores from pre- to postintervention compared with a high-risk control group. Low-risk participants who received the intervention reported a small but significant decrease in depression scores over the intervention period, whereas the low-risk controls reported an increase in depression scores. The low-risk group reported a significantly greater increase in problem-solving scores over the intervention period compared with low-risk controls. These results were not maintained, however, at 12-month follow-up.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Risk of suicide ideation associated with problem-solving ability and attitudes toward suicidal behavior in university students.

The present paper investigates the risk of lifetime suicide ideation associated with problem-solving ability and attitudes toward suicidal behavior in a sample of 328 university students (41% male, 59% female). The response rate was 77% based on the total number of students registered for the relevant courses. A series of questions assessed lifetime suicide ideation, while problem solving and attitudes toward suicide were measured using the Self-Rating Problem Solving scale and four subscales of the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire, respectively (McLeavey, 1986; Domino et al., 1989). Almost one-third of the students surveyed had lifetime suicide ideation. Both genders were similar in terms of their suicide ideation history, problem solving, and attitudes toward suicidal behavior with the exception that male students were more in agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior lacks real intent. Compared with 2% of nonideators and ideators, one in four planners reported that they would more than likely attempt suicide at some point in their life. Greater agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior is normal was associated with significantly increased risk of being an ideator, as was poor problem solving and less agreement with the attitude that suicidal behavior is associated with mental illness.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

The impact of two multiple-choice question formats on the problem-solving strategies used by novices and experts.

BACKGROUND: Pencil-and-paper examination formats, and specifically the standard, five-option multiple-choice question, have often been questioned as a means for assessing higher-order clinical reasoning or problem solving. This study firstly investigated whether two paper formats with differing number of alternatives (standard five-option and extended-matching questions) can test problem-solving abilities. Secondly, the impact of the alternatives number on psychometrics and problem-solving strategies was examined. METHODS: Think-aloud protocols were collected to determine the problem-solving strategy used by experts and non-experts in answering Gastroenterology questions, across the two pencil-and-paper formats. RESULTS: The two formats demonstrated equal ability in testing problem-solving abilities, while the number of alternatives did not significantly impact psychometrics or problem-solving strategies utilized. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the notion that well-constructed multiple-choice questions can in fact test higher order clinical reasoning. Furthermore, it can be concluded that in testing clinical reasoning, the question stem, or content, remains more important than the number of alternatives.

Adult↗

PubMed1975

Academic achievement, situational stress, and problem-solving flexibility.

Academic overachieving (n equals 12) and underachieving (n equals 10) tenth grade boys were randomly assigned, with their parents, to either a success or a failure treatment in a problem solving task to determine the effects of induced stress on problem solving flexibility. For the underachievers, Ss in the success treatment were the most flexible, while for the overachievers, Ss in the failure treatment were the most flexible. A curvilinear proposition, consistent with Hebb's cue-arousal postulate was proposed to explain the results and also to explain the apparent discrepancies in the literature as to whether situational stress increases or decreases flexibility in problem solving. An implication of the proposition is that for persons with feelings of personal inadequacy, increases in situation stress result in decreased problem solving flexibility, but for persons with feelings of personal adequacy such increases enhance their problem solving flexibility.

Achievement↗

PubMed2004

A brief problem-solving intervention for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a brief problem-solving intervention for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer. METHOD: Family caregivers were recruited through oncology clinics of a large tertiary care hospital in Canada. Those providing informed consent completed a baseline survey, received a brief problem-solving intervention, received a detailed home care guide, and completed a follow-up survey over the telephone 4 weeks after receiving the intervention. RESULTS: Thirty-four family caregivers completed all aspects of the study. Sixty-eight percent of caregivers were women, 73.5% were married to the care recipient, and their average age was 53.6 years. This brief intervention resulted in improvements in emotional tension (P<.03), caregiving confidence (P<.06), and positive problem-solving orientation (P<.06). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that even a brief problem-solving intervention may be beneficial for family caregivers to individuals with advanced cancer.

Caregivers↗