chapter 12: problem solving Flashcards
what are the 5 steps in the problem-solving cycle
- define the problem
- brainstorm solutions
- pick solution
- implement solution
- review results
why is problem solving considered cyclical?
once you arrive at a solution, you discover a new or similar problem and have to use past info to find solution for new problem
name the three states in common in each problem-solving model and define operators
initial state
intermediate states
goal state
operators: actions that transform current problem state into another problem state
what are the 2 types of problems
- well-defined
- ill-defined
explain well-defined problems
- unambiguous requirements
- info needed to solve problem is present
- applying algorithms
- has constraints
explain ill-defined problems
- ambiguous goal
- requires added info
- situational
- no constraints
ill-defined anagrams showed greater activity in which part of the brain
right prefrontal cortex
name the two theories that describe how we approach problem solving
- solved using knowledge and trial and error (behaviorist)
- solved by considering problems more deeply (gestalt psyc)
explain the behaviorist approach to problem-solving by Thorndike
- reproductive process: use of prev knowledge and what is already known
- trial-and-error
- Law of Effect
what was one phenomena the behaviorist approach could not explain
insight: when a solution to a problem suddenly occurs to you (a-ha moment)
explain the gestalt approach to problem solving
- productive process: actively thinking about problem
- restructuring and manipulating of info
according to the gestalt approach of problem solving, how does insight occur
occurs when info gets restructured and solution suddenly comes to mind
what are heuristics
rules of thumb, educated guess, or common sense judgements
name 5 factors that would increase the likelihood of using heuristics
- when one faced with too much info
- when time to make decision is limited
- when decision is unimportant
- when there’s access to very little information to use in decision making
- when appropriate heuristic comes to mind in the same moment
what is the working backwards heuristic
solving a problem by focusing on the final result
what is the moravec’s paradox
AI solves well-defined problems well, but not ill-defined problems and simple skills
the problem space is a representation that includes:
- initial and goals states
- intermediate paths and operators
- task constraints
what are 2 common barriers that can get in the way of problem solving
- inability to ignore irrelevant info
- functional fixedness
what is the brute force approach of problem solving
systematic algorithm that represents all the possible steps from the problem to goal state
- guaranteed to find a solution, but inefficient
what is a downside of the brute force approach
combinatorial explosion: computing too many alternatives
- no solution is reached
name 2 strategies that help prevent combinatorial explosion
- hill climbing strategy
- means end strategy
what is the hill climbing strategy
- select operation that brings you closer to goal without examining problem space
- can lead to false outcome
- does not require you to move away from the goal to solve it
what is the means-ends strategy
- identify sub-prob to complete goal
- back and forth movement
- constant eval of the difference between current and goal states
- flexible
what is the analogical problem solving
making comparisons between two situations; applying the solution from one of the situations to the other
what is the Einstellung effect
bias to use only familiar methods when problem-solving
- inability to seek/use a better method
- rigid thinking and blocks
name 2 consequences of the Einstellung effect
- functional fixedness: inabliity to see beyond the most common use of a particular object
- mental fixedness
define creativity
ability to produce novel ideas that are appropriate and that are relevant to the situation
according to Sternberg’s triarchic theory of human intelligence, name the three facets of human intelligence
- analytical intelligence (book smart)
- practical intelligence (street smart)
- creative intelligence
define ideational fluency
number of ideas a person can generate about a particular topic or item
- to asses person’s creativity
what did German & Defeyter (2000) find when testing children with the candle problem
no fixedness in children without pre-utilization
differentiate between insight problem and non-insight problem
insight: solution occurs suddenly into consciousness
non-insight: process of consciously working through each step of a prob to arrive to solution
what are the four features of insight
- suddenness
- ease
- positive
- confidence
in which type of problem were Ps able to accurately predict how close they were to solving a problem
non-insight problems
what is a Gestalt switch
experience of having a sudden switch in how you see something
define mental sets and explain one problem with it
tendency to use solutions that have worked in the past, or tendency to respond to smt in a given or set way
- blind to alternatives/simpler methods
when faced with a problem, explain the processing differences between an expert and a novice
expert: more time analyzing prob, less time thinking about each steps
- performance becomes automatic
novice: conscious of task performance, which makes them slower
between experts and novices, who are most likely to benefit from creative thinking
novices
heuristics are to human such as … are to computers
algorithms
explain the tower of hanoi task
move 3 discs from peg A to C so they are in the same initial order
the tower of hanoi problem is an example of an … because it has …
1. well-defined or ill defined
2. no task constraints or task constraints
well-defined
task constraints
