Gestalt Approach Flashcards
It believes that we cannot fully understand behavior when we only
break phenomena down into smaller parts.
Gestalt Psychology states that we best understand psychological
phenomena when we view them as organized, structure wholes.
GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
It is goal-oriented and rational and requires a clear well-defined
goal.
Directed Thinking
These are meanders and plays a role in creativity and poorly-
defined problems.
Undirected Thinking
The following are made clear: goal state, initial state, subgoals,
and problem space.
PROBLEM SOLVING
The Different Kinds of Problems
Well-defined Problems
The following are made clear: goal state, initial state, and
subgoals. However, the problem space is often left unsaid.
PROBLEM SOLVING
The Different Kinds of Problems
Ill-defined Problems
It is following a sequence known to produce a workable answer.
APPROACHES IN GESTALT
Reproductive Thinking
This includes insight and creativity to come up with a new
answer.
APPROACHES IN GESTALT
Productive Thinking
It is following a sequence known to produce a workable answer.
* It is when an organism readily reproduces the response to the
given problem from past experience.
* Solving fixed problems, requires schemas, through which one
can get to the solution step by step.
Restructuring
* It is analysing the problem domain according to different
dimensions, i.e., changing from one representation to another,
results in arriving at a new understanding of a problem.
Insight
* It is a sudden realization that the new restructured
representation is related to the solution.
APPROACHES IN GESTALT
REPRODUCTIVE THINKING
It is an effect when habitual directions get in the way of finding
new directions which is caused by previous experience or
familiarity which can make problem solving more difficult.
* It goes in functional fixedness and mental fixedness.
CHALLENGES TO PRODUCTIVE THINKING
Fixation
Functional Fixedness
* It concerns the solution of object-use problems.
Mental Fixedness
* It happens because of a mental set – a person’s tendency to
respond to a given task in a manner based on past experience.
Types of fixation
It concerns the solution of object-use problems.
* It states that when the usual way of using an object is
emphasized, it will be far more difficult for a person to use that
object in a novel manner.
FUNCTIONAL FIXEDNESS
It happens because of a mental set – a person’s tendency to
respond to a given task in a manner based on past experience.
* These wrong solutions are due to an inaccurate interpretation,
hence representation, of the problem. This can happen because
of sloppiness – a quick shallow reading of the problem and/or
weak monitoring of their efforts made to come to a solution.
MENTAL FIXEDNESS
To find a solution to one problem - the so called target problem,
an analogous solution to another problem - the source problem,
is presented.
ANALOGICAL PROBLEM SOLVING
Identify difference between current & goal state.
* Create sub-goal & select operator that achieves it.
* If operator cannot be applied then use means end-analysis
recursively (i.e. repetitively) to remove blocking conditions
MEANS-END ANALYSIS HEURISTIC
Backwards Chaining
* It is working back from the end state until reaching the origin
state. This is common for novice problem-solvers in the domain
(also used by experts)
Forwards Chaining
* Experts are much more likely to start from the origin point and
move forward whenever the problem strikes them as readily
solvable.
PROBLEM SOLVING METHODS
