Chapter 12: Problem Solving Flashcards
What are features
specific reasoning processes that can be acquired
Features improve with what kind of practice
- deliberate
What is metacognition
our awareness of our own mental processes
We can look at problems and quickly decide whether it can be retrieved from memory or has to be solved effortfully, or switch between the 2 using…
metacognition
What is an analogy
problem solving is enhanced by knowing the solution to a similar problem
What does Analogical transfer refer to
the ability to transfer a solution from one problem to the next
Does problem solving use principles that are domain-specific or not
not
Problem solving requires _______?
Intelligence
- The ability to derive general principles and apply it in other domains
Analogies only helps those who notice ______ between the conditions
similarity
What is the role of analogy in problem solving. Give an example of your own.
problem solving is enhanced by knowing the solution to a similar problem
- car stuck in mud vs car stuck in snow
What is the Gestalt Approach
Restructuring a problem to find a solution
What are the two aspects to problem solving (Gestalt)
- problem representation
2. insight
What is problem representation
how a problem is represented in the mind
- changing the representation of a problem can help arrive at solutions (restructuring)
What is insight in the gestalt approach
the sudden emergence of a solution
What is restructuring
changing the representation of a problem can help arrive at solutions
What is the result of insight
restructuring
What are insightful solutions
- participants are not aware they are getting closer to a solution
What is functional fixedness
- the fixation on the primary function of an object
- inability to think of novel uses
How can we fix fixedness
can be reduced by restructuring the problem
How does functional fixedness affect problem solving. Is functional fixedness always an impediment to problem solving?
Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that negatively affects a person’s ability to problem-solve and innovate. The bias causes a person to look at a problem in only one specific way and it can prevent them from developing effective solutions to their challenge.
What is a mental set
preconceived notion of how to solve a problem
- based on past experiences
What is the information-processing approach
- problem solving as a search process
- get from initial to the goal
One way to find the solution is to reduce the difference between initial and goal state by creating
subgoals
What are the features of experts (5)
- experts have more knowledge about the field
- they organize knowledge differently (more visualizations)
- spend more time analyzing problems and less time implementing solutions
- higher automatization of subprocesses
- better metacognition