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The Influence Of Self-Efficacy And Working Memory Capacity On Problem Solving Efficiency, Bobby H Hoffman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The study investigated the influence of self-efficacy beliefs, working memory capacity and problem complexity on problem solving performance, response time, and problem solving efficiency. Previous research investigated these factors from an absolute performance perspective, but not from the perspective of efficiency, defined as the ratio of problem-solving accuracy over time; Students completed an operational span working memory task, rated their self-efficacy for solving multiplication problems without the use of paper or calculation aids, and then solved computer-based cognitive multiplication problems, under conditions of varying complexity. Two competing hypotheses were proposed, which state that the efficiency of problem solving is either …