Chapter 12

Question 1

What is problem-solving?

Answer 1

Cognitive processes that involve recognizing there is a problem, analyzing and solving it, then verifying the effectiveness of the solution

Question 2

What is a problem?

Answer 2

Occurs when there’s an obstacle between an initial state in a goal state when you do not know the solution right away

Question 3

What are the mental processing steps in problem-solving?

Answer 3

1. Understanding the relevant information in the problem.(bottom up and top down.)
2. What steps do you need to take to solve the problem? generate solutions
3. Choose a solution and use the steps to solve the problem.
4. Reflect on the effectiveness of your decision.

Question 4

What is an initial state?

Answer 4

Starting point of the problem

Describes and defining the problem

Question 5

What’s the goal state?

Answer 5

Desired final state/ending situation

Has operators = actions that transform the current problem state into another problem state

Question 6

What are well-defined problems?

Answer 6

Have correct answers, and procedures that lead us to solve them

Initial and goal state are clearly specified

Question 7

What are ill defined problems?

Answer 7

A problem that does not have a clear goal stated, solution paths, or expected solutions

Computers aren’t good at solving these

Question 8

What is the behaviours approach to problem-solving processes? (Also The law of effect )

Answer 8

Reproductive process
Using knowledge from past experience
Trial and error strategies for solutions and rule out solutions that don’t work

The law of effect = response, with a satisfying effect, will occur in the situation again most likely.
The response with a dissatisfying effect won’t occur again .

Question 9

What is the gestalt approach to problem-solving processes?

Answer 9

Trial and error does not explain insight (when the solution to a problem suddenly shows up in your conscious)

Theorized it’s a productive process
Restructuring information to provide a solution this makes insight possible
(Restructuring means manipulating information changes representation in your mind)

Question 10

What are heuristics?

Answer 10

Mental shortcuts for drawing inferences, based on limited information, without deliberation

Examples : rules of thumb, educated guess, common sense, ETC

Question 11

What’s the working backwards heuristic

Answer 11

Solving a problem by focussing on the end result

Question 12

What’s the mean and analysis heuristic?

Answer 12

Creating sub goals to move closer to the final goal state

Question 13

What’s the functional fixedness? (Barriers to solving problems.)

Answer 13

Intended purpose of an object inhibits you from seeing its other potential uses

Question 14

What is fixation? (barriers to solving problems)

Answer 14

Tendency to focus on a specific characteristic of a problem

Question 15

What’s the insight problem?

Answer 15

Solution suddenly occurs in consciousness

Question 16

What’s a non-insight problem

Answer 16

Problem is worked through step-by-step

Question 17

Do insight and non-insight problem/solution have the same cognitive processes

Answer 17

You’re not consciously aware of environmental queues that might lead to insight

But you are aware of things in non-incite problems

Question 18

What’s creativity

Answer 18

Focus on divergent thinking

Question 19

What is Sternberg’s three facets of human intelligence? (Analytical, practical., creative)

Answer 19

1. analytics (puzzles, general analytics)
2. Practical intelligence. ( ability to understand and deal with every day tasks.)
3. Creative intelligence. (Use existing knowledge and skills in order to deal with novelty or create ideas.)

Question 20

What is ideational fluency?

Answer 20

A measure where the number of ideas a person can generate about a particular topic or item is used to assess the creativity

Question 21

What’s a mental set?

Answer 21

Tendency to use solutions that have worked in the past, or use some thing in a “set way”.

Question 22

Do experts, have better memory than novices within their domain?

Answer 22

Expert sent to memorize meaningful information easier
Example . Chess pieces in a particular attack position but they’re not better at memorizing randomly positioned chest pieces.

Question 23

Are experts better at creative thinking than novices?

Answer 23

No, this is benefit from creative, thinking, while experts are stuck in conventional ways of thinking

Question 24

What’s the information processing approach?

Answer 24

1. Information about the problem.
2. we use our past experiences to solve it.

-Humans use heuristics
Computers use algorithms ( step-by-step procedure that should produce the correct solution)
-computers can calculate all the possible moves/steps at once in our fast at solving well-defined problems