states that accelerate, retard, or confound the process (Piaget, 1973;
Zajonc, 1980). The capacity for self-awareness keeps problem solv-
ers centered on the task at hand and provides a buffer against extra-
neous influences that may interrupt or alter the process.
Monitor and Control. The regulation, coordination, and integra-
tion of lower-order processing are additional vital functions of the
executive processing domain (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968; Shiffrin
& Schneider, 1977). Through monitoring, good problem solvers
sense when a sufficient amount of information has been acquired in
each phase in the cycle so as to move on to the next phase. The
control function then moves one forward to the next phase when a
phase is sufficiently completed or back to a preceding phase for
more thorough consideration when necessary (Bransford & Stein,
1984; Peterson et al., 1991). Thus monitoring and controlling serve
as “quality control” mechanisms to ensure a complete, orderly, and
timely progression through the CASVE cycle.
Cultural Considerations in the Use of CIP
Although we tend to think of CIP as a culture-free paradigm, in
practice, we have become aware of important differences in how
clients from various ethnic and racial backgrounds engage the re-
spective domains of the pyramid and the phases of the CASVE
cycle in career problem solving and decision making. Unfortu-
nately, because of space limitations, we cannot explore this topic as
fully as we would like. Nevertheless, to gain a sense of how human
diversity is managed in the CIP framework, examples of cultural
considerations are presented next, according to the domains of the
pyramid.
The Acquisition of Self-Knowledge. The principal concern in the
development and refinement of self-knowledge structures lies in the
use of normed tests and inventories in the assessment of personal-
ity constructs and abilities. Scores from such instruments are often
328 CAREER CHOICE AND DEVELOPMENT