Project Details
Projekt
On the Role of Personal Goals for the Appraisal of Everyday Problems and the Employment of Problem-Solving Strategies over the Adult Lifespan
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Christiane Hoppmann
Subject Area
Developmental and Educational Psychology
Term
from 2005 to 2008
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 15704176
The focus of the proposed research is on the relationship between personal goals and everyday problem-solving across the adult lifespan. Despite the fact that both personal goals and everyday problem-solving influence successful development across the lifespan, their interrelationship has been investigated infrequently. The aim of the proposed research is to bridge this gap by means of examining whether developmental changes in personal goals represent one potential mechanism underlying previously observed age-differences in everyday problem-solving. Using multiple research methodologies including qualitative interviews, laboratory experimentation, and time-sampling the proposed research aims at answering the following central questions: First, are developmental differences in personal goals linked to interindividual differences in problem-solving strategy-usage across the lifespan? Second, does increasing experience with solving everyday problems lead to a greater fit between personal goals and problem-solving strategy-usage in older adults as compared to younger adults? And finally, does the fit between personal goal-orientation and problem-solving strategy-usage affect problem-solving effectiveness and successful development across adulthood? These questions shall be addressed in collaboration with Prof. Fredda Blanchard-Fields at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta who is a leading expert on social cognitive development and everyday problem solving in adulthood.
DFG Programme
Research Fellowships
International Connection
USA
