Are there age-related differences in problem solving? Explain

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ANSWER:

Answer 1

People tend to use different strategies in solving problems based on the context in which they occur. However, there are some interesting age-related differences found in the literature. For example, younger adults are more likely to use similar strategies across situations. They use self-action to fix the problem. Older adults are more likely to vary their strategy based on the problem-solving context. For example, in dealing with interpersonal situations, such as family matters, they use more emotion regulation. However, in more instrumental situations, such as deciding what to do with defective merchandise, they use more self-action strategies, like returning the product. Blanchard-Fields and colleagues (1997) argued that as we age and acquire experience, we become more sensitive to problem-solving contexts and we act accordingly.