Problem 3 Flashcards
What is design thinking ?
- It is a methodology for generating innovation
- Begins with developing an understanding of the users need + behaviors by observing them in their natural environments
–> explores possible solutions for improving the user experience
What are cognitive traps?
Which ones may be possibly encountered in the process of innovative thinking ?
Cognitive traps can hinder observation + interfere with understanding the users experience
- Top down processing
- Encoding failures
- Inattentional blindness
- Conformation bias
- Fundamental attribution error
- Sunk cost trap
Top down processing
Refers to a tendency to draw conclusions early based on experience + expectations rather than waiting for direct observation
–> may lead to encoding failures
Encoding failures
Refer to instances where apparently unimportant details are simply not captured/missed
–> due to fact that brain usually focus on the core of a situation to maximize efficiency
Inattentional blindness
Failing to see things in plain sight because the attention is directed elsewhere
Conformation bias
Refers to a manifestation of preexisting beliefs or preferences, which cloud the information collection process
How can we overcome these cognitive traps ?
By using metacognition, meaning the ability to think about our own cognitive processes
–> this ability to notice when we are slipping into cognitive traps and employ effective countermeasures.
Mental sets can make it easy so solve a particular class of problems, but attachment to the wrong ones can inhibit creativity.
How can such fixation be combatted ?
- Reframing, meaning rethinking the problem
- Assume an alternative identity, meaning imagining how others might face the challenge
- Avoiding to invest too heavily in a single idea but keeping multiple
- Taking notes of feedback for later processing
- Attention to cognitive traps
Fundamental attribution error
Refers to the tendency to rationalize our own failures as being due to external circumstances
Sunk cost trap
Refers to a situation when learning + adaptation become constrained by a heavy emotional investment in the initial idea
Creative cognition approach
Suggests that the acquisition of different knowledge systems is precursory to the generation of creative ideas
–> helps overcome cognitive fixedness
Similarity processing mindest
Refers to a process by which individuals focus on the similarities between the comparison target and the standard
- indicates target-standard similarity
ex. : foreign culture vs local culture
Dissimilarity processing mindset
Refers to a process by which individuals focus on the dissimilarities between the comparison target + the standard
–> indicates target-standard contrast
Creativity is enhanced when you adopt the … mindset. Why is that ?
Dissimilarity
–> when being exposed to dual cultural primes with higher levels of cultural distance one will automatically be inclined to adopt a difference mindset, as opposed to when the two contrasting cultures aren’t that different from each other but rather similar
Incubation period
Refers to the temporary shift away from an unsolved problem that allows a solution to emerge seemingly as if from no additional effort
What are the 4 phases in problem solving ?
- Preparation
- Incubation
- Illumination
- Verification
Conscious-work hypothesis
(Incubation)
States that incubation effects are due to issues such as reduction of mental fatigue + additional covert problem solving during incubation period
Unconscious-work hypothesis
(Incubation)
Suggests that positive incubation effects are the result of gradual + unconscious problem solving processes that occur during incubation period
What are the 3 unconscious processes that have been proposed to account for incubation effects ?
-
Eliciting new knowledge
* Activation will spread towards previously ignored but relevant memory items -
Selective forgetting
* IP will weaken the activation of inappropriate solution concepts that distract from the relevant ones -
Problem restructuring
* the individuals mental representation of a problem will be reorganized
What facilitates postincubation problem solving/positive incubation effects ?
- A certain level of involvement in other tasks during the incubation period
- A long incubation period
- A better memory for failed problems
–> failure in general
- Fixation on misleading information before incubation period
What are the cross cultural differences when it comes to creativity ?
Westerners are more creative, whereas easterners are better at deductive reasoning
Why are easterners less creative than westerners ?
- Collectivistic culture
- Eastern societies put more emphasis on social roles + education
- Prefer to apply intuitive reasoning when problem solving
- Put emphasis on mimicking existing abilities with the aim to refine them
Deductive reasoning
Requires the use of conscious intent to develop logically justifiable conclusions from a set of premises provided
–> top-down reasoning
Intuitive reasoning
Refers to experience based reasoning, where one overlooks rules + logic when at odds with intuition
Formal reasoning
Refers to rule based reasoning which emphasizes logical inference and overlooks sense experience when conflicted with rules + logic
Creativity
Refers to the ability to create something that is judged by a group of experts in a certain field as both original + worthwhile
–> it is a product of culture that’d be meaningless without the judgments of others
How do western societies foster creativity ?
- Being individualistic, because one has to stand out from the group in order to be unique
- Apply formal reasoning
Creativity requires …
- Skills
-
Dispositions (Attitudes)
* intrinsic motivation - Translations into action
-
Overcoming misconceptions
* e.g.: brainstorming, relaxation
Insights
Experience of suddenly realizing how to solve a problem
–> incubation can be involved but doesn’t always have the needed effect
Well defined problems
- Refer to problems where all aspects of it are clearly specified
- Most commonly used in research as an optimal strategy can easily be identified
–> Initial goal, methods available
ex.: maze, chess
Ill defined problems
Refer to problems where the definition of it is underspecified
–> goal etc are unclear
ex.: keys locked in a car, most everyday problems
Knowledge rich problems
Can only be saved with considerable amounts of prior knowledge
Knowledge lean problems
Can be solved without prior knowledge as necessary info is provided by a problem statement
Which aspects influence problem solving ?
-
Past experience
a) Functional fixedness
b) Einstellung - Incubation
-
Expertise
a) Chunking
b) Template Theory
c) Routine + Adaptive expertise
Functional fixedness
Failing to solve a problem because we assume from past experience that any given object has a limited number of uses
–> e.g.: getting stuck on a problem
Einstellung
Refers to a mental set in which people use a familiar strategy even where there is a simpler alternative
–> if it doesn’t work one thinks the problem cannot be solved using it
Chunking theory
Memory chunks contain more info + more chunks can be used
Template theory
Chunks that are used frequently develop into more complex data structures
–> using few large templates that are more general rather than a large number of chunks
Routine expertise
Refers to using acquired knowledge to solve familiar problems efficiently
Adaptive Expertise
Refers to using acquired knowledge to develop strategies for dealing with novel problems
Trial and error learning
Producing fairly random responses rather than actively using a specific train of thought
–> thereby finding the solution
Reproductive thinking
Refers to the re-use of previous experiences to solve a current problem
Productive thinking
Solving a problem by developing an understanding of the problems underlying structure
–> Gestalt approach
Problem Space
Refers to the entire range of components that exist in the process of finding a solution to a problem
Means ends analysis
Refers to a heuristic method based on creating a sub goal to reduce the difference between the current + goal state
–> used to solve problems
Hill climbing
Changing the present state of a problem, by choosing the option that will get you apparently closer to the goal
- making short term goals, and focusing on these
–> simpler than means ends, therefore used in problem solving
