Planification et organisation des actions dans la résolution du problème de la tour de Hanoï par des enfants de 7 ans

Summary : Planning and organizing actions to solve the tower of Hanoi problem by seven year old children. The tower of Hanoi problem was given to a large sample of first-grade children in order to study the way they plan and more generally organize their actions at this particular age. A general frame-work of problem solving is sketched and a new method to analyze protocols is developped. The conclusion is that planning does not take place until late in problem solving ; in addition, because of the failure of the rules based on a first representation of the problem, problem space is modified in order to take into account critical aspects of the task not considered previously. Forward planning is then observed rather than backward planning. Key-words : problem solving, cognitive development.