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Cognitive Psychology > Lecture 8 > Flashcards

Lecture 8 Flashcards

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1
Q

Why do we study problem solving

A

Part of everyday life, goal-directed, e.g. how to get to a lecture - but we can use existing schema’s to problem solve. However, a problem only becomes a problem when you don’t know how to solve it and lack all h relevant knowledge to produce an immediate solution

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2
Q

Is problem-solving just in humans?

A

No. Kohler’s chimp Sultan, observed complex problem-solving.

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3
Q

Discuss Kohlers chimp Sultan’s problem

A

The banana’s are too far away and too high to reach. However there are obstacles in the environment which he uses to stack and climb to reach the banana’s.

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4
Q

What features can you apply to any problem

A

Goal-directedness. Subgoal decomposition (simply reaching for food would not have been problem solving there had to be something else). Operator application (action that transforms the problem state into another state).

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5
Q

Define problem solving

A

Goal-directed behaviour that often involves setting sub-goals to enable the application of operators

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6
Q

When does problem solving take place

A

If the person is trying to obtain a goal

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7
Q

What is the main task in problem solving

A

Finding the right intermediate steps to get to the goal state - counter-intuitive move

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8
Q

How do you find the intermediate steps

A

Initial state, goal state, intermediate steps required

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9
Q

What is an operator

A

Legal operations or functions.

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10
Q

What are the two types are operation

A

Legal - means permissible given the rules of the problem. Illegal operations

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11
Q

What is a goal

A

The ultimate destination, solution or state of problem.

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12
Q

What are the two types of goals

A

Well-defined goal - any problem with an explicit goal. Ill-defined goal - several different results could satisfy the goal

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13
Q

What is goal directedness

A

Problems must have a goal

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14
Q

Describe sequence of steps

A

Must involved multiple operations, simple recall is not problem solving

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15
Q

Define cognitive operations

A

Done to get from one step to another, steps are discrete and based on cognitive acts such as recall or maths

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16
Q

What is subgoal decomposition

A

Each step is also a goal, break apart problem into smaller bits. Gives hierarchical structure to problem solving

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17
Q

How do we study problem solving

A

Speed/accuracy RT measures. Intermediate products. Verbal protocol - however the act of verbalizing the steps might change how the person solves the problems - introspection? Computer simulation - model hypothesized processes

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18
Q

How do we solve problems

A

Gestalt - focusing on the whole. People generally do not perceive the individual pieces or features in a scene, but extract their relationship.

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19
Q

What is the key to problem solving

A

Extract the relationship among items - understanding the relationship between items, especially non-obvious relationships, is what allows us to solve problems

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20
Q

Name and discuss the difficulties in problem solving

A

Persistence of set - old strategies continue to be used, even if less efficient. Incorrect problem representations. Functional Fixedness - tendency to use objects in standard way. Negative set - tendency to solve problems in a set way, even when a different approach may be more successful. Individual differences. Lack of expertise - experts and novices solve problems differently

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21
Q

Why do we use functional fixedness

A

Semantic knowledge about something leads to recall of normal properties and uses of that object - ALTERNATIVE uses are not obvious

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22
Q

Explain negative set

A

Einstellung - a bias to solve a problem in only one way, related to functional fixedness. problem solvers keep trying the same solution used in previous problems, even thought the problem could be solved via other ways

23
Q

What is a set in problem solving

A

State of mind - an inappropriate set can stop you representing the problem in the most appropriate way

24
Q

Discuss whether incubation works

A

Representational change theory - emphasis on factors that allow people to overcome a block to solving. Incubation - a problem is solved more easily if set aside for some time

25
Q

What is the sequence of problem solving

A

Identifying problem. Represent problem. Plan the solution. Execute plan. Evaluate the plan. Evaluate the solution

26
Q

What is on algorithm

A

A systematic procedure guaranteed to lead to a solution - generally it would guarantee a solution but often time consuming

27
Q

What is the difference between algorithms and heuristics

A

Procedures guaranteed to result in the solution = algorithms. Rule of thumb that often leads to a solution = heuristics.

28
Q

Name the methods of problem solving

A

Brute force search. Hill climbing. Working backwards. Means end analysis. Mental imagery

29
Q

What is brute force search

A

Test all possible states until solution is found. Guaranteed to work eventually, but impractical with large problems

30
Q

What is hill climbing

A

States you should always move towards the goal state - never backwards. Can be problematic - correct route may involve moving away from the goal state before returning to it later.

31
Q

What is working backwards

A

Approaching the problem from the goal state. Particularly useful when there are too many possible operators at the initial state. MOST EFFICIENT when only one correct solution - rapid elimination of unhelpful paths

32
Q

When does working backwards actually work

A

When the goal is singular and there a a variety of alternative routes to take - identifies optimal route. When end results are given or known in the problem and you’re asked for the initial conditions

33
Q

What is the means-end strategy

A

Identifies distance between current state and goal state. Finds operator to reduce the difference. Sometimes needs to set sub-goals to remove obstacles. Extremely general and powerful method of problem solving

34
Q

What are the 5 steps of means-end strategy

A

Set up goal or subgoal. Look for difference between current state and goal state. Look for an operator that will reduce or eliminate the difference. Apply the operator. Apply steps 2-4 until all goals are achieved.

35
Q

Why do people only engage in a modest mount of planning when engaged in problem solving

A

Limited short-term memory capacity. Costs associated with the time and effort. Often simple heuristics suffice.

36
Q

What is positive transfer

A

Previous experience allows problem to be solved faster/more easily

37
Q

What is negative transfer

A

Previous experience disrupts ability

38
Q

Discuss analogical problem solving

A

Analogies = relationship between 2 similar situations, problems and concepts. Difficulty lies in recognising that problems are similar - many problems on the surface appear to be very dissimilar, but are similar at a core level

39
Q

Discuss the research on analogies

A

Gick & Holyoak (1980) - radiation, attack dispersion and parade problems used to study analogy. Reading one story influenced whether or not participants solved another story - participants were able to use the first as an analogy for solving the second

40
Q

Discuss solving the radiation problem (Gick & Holyoak, 1980)

A

The solution is to use several lower dosage rays to ht the tumor from different angles - the rays are weak enough that they do not damage tissue - but at their convergence, they have enough power to kill the tumor

41
Q

Discuss the results from the Gick & Holyoak 1980

A

Parade condition (parade story preceded radiation story) = 49% gave the correct radiation solution. Attack condition (attack story preceded radiation story) = 76% correct solution. Control condition (No story preceded radiation story) = 8% correct

42
Q

Discuss the conclusions of Gick & Holyoak, 1980

A

People used previous solutions from analogous stories. But the likelihood of sing a solution depended on how analogous the story was to the radiation problem - the attack story gave more correct solutions and it was most closely matched to the radiation problem

43
Q

What is the multiconstraint theory

A

Predicts how many people use analogies. Predicts what factors govern the analogies people construct.

44
Q

What are the three factors involved in the multiconstraint theory

A

Problem similarity. Problem structure. Purpose of the analogy

45
Q

What conditions do people make successful use of previous problems

A

Chen (2002) identified 3 factors: Problem similarity - there must be a reasonable degree of similarity between the source domain and the target domain. Problem structure - parallel structure between the source and target problems. Procedural similarity - procedures for turning the solution principle into concrete operations are common to both problems - the goals of the stories in the analogy must match

46
Q

Discuss the properties of expertise

A

Domain-specific knowledge. Develop superior domain-specific memory. Expert knowledge i highly procedural - faster and fewer mistakes. Experts representations consist of underlying properties

47
Q

What do experts do that novices don’t?

A

Experts = elaborate, plan, detect constraints & have better judgments. Whereas novices work on small sub-problems and are less flexible in attempting solution, experts remember more domain-specific information in meaningful clusters.

48
Q

What are the characterizations of experts

A

Excel mainly in their own domains. Perceive large meaningful patterns in their domain. Fast. See and represent a problem in their own domain at a deeper level than novices- they see structural similarities between problems. Work forwards from givens to unknowns. Have strong self-monitoring skills

49
Q

Discuss puzzles

A

Unfamiliar, involve no prior knowledge. All necessary info is present. Requirements are unambiguous

50
Q

Discuss real-world problems

A

Familiar, require prior knowledge. Necessary info is not present and goal is often sometimes ambiguous

51
Q

Discuss the ways to improve problem solvin

A

Increase domain knowledge. Automate components. Have a systematic plan. Draw inferences. Develop subgoals. Work backwards. Search for contradictions and relations among problem. Use different problem representatins

52
Q

What makes and expert an expert

A

Study exception feats: memory experts, chess experts, musicians, athletes. Practice for 10 years - 10,000-20,000 hours playing… but not always the case

53
Q

What about talent?

A

Maybe exceptional performance in some area that can be explained by talent? Ericsson et al. (1990) disagreed that concept of talent is useful or explains anything. Instead, it is the use of deliberate practice & GRIT - perseverance, motivation, dedication

Cognitive Psychology (6 decks)

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