Volume : 4, Issue : 1, January - 2015

Effect of Stimulus abstractness on problem solving abilities in healthy young adults

Gagan Bajaj, Nayana P. Kumar, Shruthy Varghese, Greena Kuriakose, Aiswarya Liz Varghese, Jayashree S. Bhat

Abstract :

<p>Problem solving is a mental process that requires the modulation and control of more routine or fundamental< /> skills. There is limited knowledge at present about the construction of problem solving stimuli in various cognitive< /> communicative test batteries. Whether abstractness of the stimulus content would change the performance of the< /> subjects on the task is also ambiguous. Thus the present study is an attempt to resolve this ambiguity. Twenty eight young adults between the< /> age range of 18&ndash;27years were included in the study. The task included a total of 56 problem solving questions which were divided into two sets.< /> This preliminary data indicates that the effect of abstractness of the stimulus varies with respect to the nature of the problem, the complexity of< /> the problem and the working memory load involved in the problem.</p>