Abstract

ESCOBAR MELO, Hugo Alberto; ABELLO CORREA, Rocío  and  CASTANO GARCIA, Jorge. Control Paths and Covariation of Variables as an Expresion of Cognitive Change in Solving a Problem. Univ. Psychol. [online]. 2016, vol.15, n.1, pp.281-302. ISSN 1657-9267.  https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy15-1.tccv.

This research characterizes paths and trajectories followed by 136 university subjects while solving a physical-mathematical problem of proportionality, proposed through an interactive software, in order to analyze the intra- and inter- subject variability, regarding the type of control variables and co-variation used. Five types of control variables (a: No Control, b: Simple Control, c: Simple Control greater than two attempts, d: Alternating Control and e: Controlled Change) and four of co-variation (f: No co-variation, g: Increasing co-variation, h: Decreasing co-variation and i: Mixed co-variation) were evidenced. The microgenetic method with qualitative and quantitative measures was used. The various paths and trajectories witness cognitive change in solving the problem. It is concluded that there is a significant variability in the procedures used by the population, as well as significant differences with respect to trajectories with consolidated control or co-variation compared to those that did not have it, also among those with paths with intermittence and without intermittence.

Keywords : Cognitive Change; Control and Co-variation of Variables; Problem Solving; Paths and Trajectories; University Subjects.

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