Chapter 8 Flashcards
Külpes introspection
tried to research problem solving through introspection.
participants focused on their mental experience
stated that some thought are imageless
thorndike’s behavioral approach to problem solving
concentrated on behavior
problem solving is trial and error
operant conditioning
gestalt approach
there is insight to find new solutions;
and reproductive thinking to apply past solutions
insight
The reorganizing or restructuring of the elements of the problem situation in such a way as to provide a solution. Also known as productive thinking.
two string problem
a problem where people must repurpose tools to solve it
functional fixedness
The inability to use an object appropriately in a given situation because of prior experience of using the object in a different way. Is a “block” to problem solution
mental set
A term to describe the rote application of one successful method to solve a problem which makes one ‘blind’ to an alternative and possibly much simpler method.
stages in the information processing approach (IPA)
general problem solver
- representing the problem
- selection of operators
- implementation of the selected operators
- evaluation of the current state
- representing the problem (IPA)
a !problem space! is constructed which includes both the initial state and the goal state, the instructions and the constraints on the problem and all relevant information retrieved from long-term memory. To assist such representation, symbols, lists, matrices, tree diagrams, graphs and visual imagery can all be used. This first stage reflects the assumption that problemsolving can be regarded as a form of search in a space consisting of all possible states of the problem.
- selection of operators (IPA)
operators are actions that will achieve a goal, and are used for transforming the initial state
- implementation of the chosen operators (IPA)
this results in a new current state within the problem space
- evaluation of the current state (IPA)
if it corresponds to the goal, a solution is reached
heuristics
Methods or strategies which often lead to a problem solution but are not guaranteed to succeed.
most problems are solved this way.
have to be distinguished from algorithms
algorithm
a method that will always yield a solution, sooner or later. You might have an algorithm to solve 21x123, a strategy that will always work
state-action tree
A diagram showing all the possible sequences of actions and intermediate states which can be constructed if the problem is well-defined.
problem reduction
An approach to problem solving that converts the problem into a number of sub-problems, each of which can be solved separately.
hill climbing
operators are selected which make the current state of the problem as similar as possible to the goal state, so the problemsolver is likely to choose moves that reduce the distance between the current and goal states
means-ends analysis
A general heuristic where a sub-problem is selected that will reduce the difference between the current state and the goal state.
e.g.: making travel plans