Sister, neighbor, friend: Thinking about multiple roles boosts kids' performance. A typical child plays many roles, such as friend, neighbor, son or daughter. Simply reminding children of that fact can lead to better problem-solving and more flexible thinking, finds new research. Better problem-solving was just one positive finding of the study. After considering their own various identities, children also showed more flexible thinking about race and other social groupings -- a behavior that could be valuable in an increasingly diverse society. Source 8j.