Chapter 12: Problem Solving Flashcards
who suggested the 3 types of problems
Greeno
What are the 3 types of problem?
- Arrangement
- Inducing structure
- Transformation
Factors affecting problem solving
STM capacity: limits number of mental operations; number of alternatives that can be evaluated at the same time.
LTM processing time: needed to transfer information to LTM; people may forget what has already been attempted.
Name 4 heuristics for problem solving
- Forming subgoals
- Means-ends analysis
- Diagrams
- Analogies
Objective pf inducing structure problems is to
discover an already fixed relationship (i.e., objects are provided and the goal is to discover how they are related)
Transformation problems consist of _________
an initial state, a goal state, and a sequence of operations for changing the initial state into the goal state
Difference of transformation problems from inducing structure and arrangement problems in that _______________
goal state is given (rather than having the solvers produce it).
objective is to determine the sequence of
operations needed to change the initial state into the goal state
What is means-ends analysis?
Identifying differences that exist between the current state and the goal state, then selecting operations that would reduce the differences
General strategies for problem solving include _______ and _________
heuristics; algorithms
eg of arrangement problems
Two-string problem (Maier, 1931)
Use available items/parts to connect two strings together.
Candle problem (Duncker, 1945)
Use available items/parts to mount the candle on the wall or door.
_________ schemas can help to overcome some of the difficulty in recognising the underlying similarity between problems.
Convergence
Skills influencing solving arrangement problems:
- Fluency in generating possibilities (i.e., flexibility)
- Retrieval of solution patterns
- Knowledge of principles that constrain the search
- May need to overcome functional fixedness:
Stages in insight formation (Wallas, 1926):
Preparation – solver recognises that a problem exists, and some preliminary attempts at a solution has been made
Incubation – solver sets aside problem for a while, but at some unconscious level, work on the problem proceeds.
Illumination – flash of insight brings solution to consciousness
Verification – confirmation of the insight.
Stages in identifying relations in analogies (Sternberg, 1977):
Encoding - identify important attributes that could be important in establishing relationships.
Inference - establish valid relationship between 1st and 2nd terms.
Mapping - establish relationship between 1st and 3rd terms
Application - attempt to establish a relationship between the 3rd and a hypothetical 4th term that is analogous to that between the 1st and 2nd terms.
“General Problem Solver” (GPS) program is developed by
Newell and Simon (1958)
