Ardiale, E. 1, 2 & Lemaire, P. 1, 2
1 Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, Universites d'Aix-Marseille, Marseille, France
2 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
We tested whether participants switched strategies while they are solving problems, and age-related changes in such within-item strategy switching. Children, young, and older adults performed a computational estimation task (e.g., provide estimates of 58 x 72, with either a rounding-down strategy, 58 x 72 = 50 x 70 = 3500, or a rounding-up strategy, 58 x 72 = 60 x 80= 4800). Participants had the possibility to switch strategies if they judge the current strategy not the most appropriate while solving each problem. Children (third, fifth, and seventh-graders), young and older adults were tested. The main findings showed that (a) all participants switched strategy within-item and chose the best strategy more often than chance, (b) when participants switched strategies they gave more accurate responses, (c) all participants tended to switch strategy most often when problem and strategy characteristics guided such strategy switching. Moreover, age-related differences were found regarding (a) mean proportions of strategy switches, (b) skills at switching strategy when most appropriate, and (c) relative costs/benefits associated with strategies. Implications of these findings concern not only formal models of strategy selection (e.g., they speak to interruption mechanism during strategy selection and strategy execution uniquely assumed by a computational model such as SCADS*). They also concern age-related differences regarding cognitive flexibility underlying strategic behaviours.