Ch 13 - Problem Solving and Creativity

Question 1

initial state

Answer 1

the knowledge and resources you have at the outset

Question 2

goal state

Answer 2

the state you are working towards

Question 3

operators

Answer 3

available tools or actions

Question 4

path constraints

Answer 4

limits that rule out some operations

Question 5

what is the problem space and why does it make the game of Chess

Answer 5

representation of a problem and all the possible paths to solving it
- in a game of chess, the problem space has billions of paths within just a few turns

Question 6

describe the Generate and Test method and how it solves problems

Answer 6

guesses the solution and then it tests whether this solution

Question 7

the hill-climbing strategy

Answer 7

to get closer to goal

Question 8

describe the Means-end analysis method and how it solves problems

Answer 8

divide the problem into subproblems and reduce the difference between the initial state and the goal state

Question 9

describe the working backwards method

Answer 9

start with the final solution and work backwards to the beginning

Question 10

describe the solving by analogy method

Answer 10

finding a problem that is similar to the problem you need to solve and mapping the solution of that source problem on to the target problem

Question 11

describe how previous knowledge can improve your ability to solve problems and why people seem to underuse analogies

Answer 11

you have gone through things in your life than can help influence future decisions

Question 12

what is an expert and how do they solve problems differently than novices

Answer 12

experts are exceptional performance in a particular area and have experience when problem solving

Question 13

explain the difference between ill-defined and well-defined problems

Answer 13

ill-defined problems lack all or most of the information required to reach a solution

well-defined problems have specific goals

Question 14

how a problem-solving set can hinder problem solving

Answer 14

a mental rut in which the same process or solution is used in different situations through an easier approach may be available

Question 15

how a functional fixedness can hinder problem solving

Answer 15

a type of mental set when previous knowledge/experience gets in the way

Question 16

what are some definitions of creativity

Answer 16

• use of imagination or original ideas
• a phenomenon where something new and valuable is formed
• novel and functional
• transcend traditional ways of thinking

Question 17

what are some potential “prerequisites” for creativity to occur

Answer 17

• knowledge and skill in the domain
• certain intellectual capacities and personality traits
• motivated by the pleasure of the work
• a conductive social, cultural, and historical context

Question 18

describe Wallas’s four stages of creative thought

Answer 18

preparation, incubation, illumination, verification

Question 19

preparation

Answer 19

information gathering

Question 20

incubation

Answer 20

conscious break

Question 21

illumination

Answer 21

insight emerges

Question 22

verification

Answer 22

the details worked out to solve problem

Question 23

exlain Metcalfe and Wiebe’s (1987) study and what it found regarding insight

Answer 23

insight: triangle problem, chain problem

Question 24

what is incubation and is there evidence that it occurs

Answer 24

• we often have the experience of a solution popping into our heads for a problem that had been set aside
• studies of the incubation effect have bee somewhat unreliable

Question 25

divergent thinking

Answer 25

a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions

Question 26

convergent thinking

Answer 26

finding one well-fined solution to a problem