LEARNING AND TRANSFER OF INDUCTIVE REASONING RULES IN OVERACTIVE CHILDREN

Overactive children and average-functioning control children were presented with an inductive reasoning task using an assisted learning methodology. In this methodology the examiner is permitted to give hints in a prescribed order when the examinee encounters difficulties with the task. Hints are given in a graded series (initial hints are quite general; later hints are quite explicit with regard to solution rules). Problems are presented until the subject can solve three consecutively with no intervention. In this preliminary study subjects were presented with two initial problem sets, and then several sets of near- and fartransfer problems. The results indicated no differences on initial learning, but overactive children required more hints than controls on each set of transfer problems. However, when a second variation of each transfer problem set was presented, overactive children required the same amount of intervention as controls. The findings were discussed in terms of possible perseverative tendencies underlying the problem-solving difficulties of children with externalizing disorders. Suggestions were made for replicating the study with more diagnostically refined samples. © 1991 Plenum Publishing Corporation.