Abstract
Numerous studies have focused on developmental differences in practical problem-solving abilities. However, researchers have largely ignored the relationship among age, procedural knowledge, and problem-solving performance. The theoretical model that guided the present investigation suggests that as individuals age, they are exposed to a variety of real-world problems, which in turn should lead to the acquisition of problem-solving scripts. In the present study, a procedurally oriented, practical problem-solving measure was administered to 200 individuals aged 20 to 69 years. For each problem, subjects were required to order a set of discrete behaviors into an optimal solution sequence. These solution sequences were then compared with optimal solutions that domain area experts had established in advance. As expected, age was found to be positively related to prior problem-solving experience. However, contrary to expectations, the quality of subjects' solutions showed slight, negative age differences.
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Hershey, D.A., Farrell, A.H. Age Differences on a Procedurally Oriented Test of Practical Problem Solving. Journal of Adult Development 6, 87–104 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021668708039
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021668708039