Problem 7 - Solving And Creativity

Question 1

Problem solving strategies: algorithm

Answer 1

• Always produces a solution to a problem.
• Exhaustive search: try all possible answers.
• Inefficient and unsophisticated.

Question 2

Heuristics: the analogy approach

Answer 2

• used everyday
• you employ a solution to a similar, early problem to help you solve the new problem
• anaphoric reference: connects an anaphor with its referent

Question 3

Structure of the analogy approach

Answer 3

• problem isomorphism: set of problems that have the same underlying structures and solutions but different specific details.
• people focus on superficial content rather than underlying meaning (abstract)
• failure to transfer knowledge (when dressed up in superficially different cover stories)
• those with limited problem-solving skills and metacognitive abilities have difficulty using analogies

Question 4

Conditions under transfer (analogy approach)

Answer 4

• diagrams and general principle statements did not help to apply analogies.
• relating and reading two analogous stories helps transfer of knowledge.
• connections between two different problems => schema induction

Question 5

Schemas (analogy approach)

Answer 5

• mental representation of facts and procedures that apply to a specific object/situation
• mental representation of the underlying principle that multiple problems share.
• schemas used to solve analogous problems.
  Steps:
  1. Noticing relationship between two problems. (Failure occurs often here)
  2. Mapping key elements
  3. Schema development

Question 6

Surface vs structural features (analogy approach)

Answer 6

• ability to notice, map and develop schemata depends on type of similarity.
• surface features: specific elements (if problems share these, part of the problem looks similar)
• structural features: underlying relationships (if structurally similar, different on the surface)
• Verbalizing problems => noticing structural features.
• kinesthetic information: information arises from body movement can help encode structural features.

Question 7

Factors for appropriate use of analogies

Answer 7

• people often overcome context and use analogies appropriately.
• solving structurally similar problems before tackling the target problem is easier.

Question 8

Problem solution: dual processes revisited (analogy approach)

Answer 8

• involving system 1 and 2 processing
• preferred method can depend not only on the situation but also on your level of knowledge and experience

Question 9

The means-ends heuristic

Answer 9

1. You divide the problem into a number of subproblems.
2. You reduce the difference between initial state and goal state for each of the subproblems.
   - most effective and flexible problem-solving strategies

Question 10

Research on the means-ends heuristic

Answer 10

• WM is especially active when planning one of these movement sequence within subproblems
• people are reluctant to move away from goal state when they are required to do so.

Question 11

The hill-climbing heuristic

Answer 11

• straightforward strategy
• useful when not enough information about alternatives - you see immediate next step
• can lead you astray
• drawback: consistently choose the alternative that appears to lead most directly to the goal.
• short-term goals/solutions

Question 12

Individual differences: cross-national comparisons in problem solving strategies

Answer 12

Different cultures emphasize different aspects (planning is for US, Germany for ex)

Question 13

Ill-structured problems and the role of insight

Answer 13

• they do not have well defined problem spaces
• difficulty constructing appropriate mental representations for modeling these problems and their solutions.
• domain knowledge and justification skills are important.
• cognitive and affective factors (attitudes and regulation) are also important.

Question 14

Insight problems

Answer 14

• distinctive and sometimes sudden
• looking at the problem in a different way.
• involves reconceptualizing a problem in a new way.
• involves detecting and combining relevant old and new information for a novel view.

Question 15

Early gestaltist views (insight problems)

Answer 15

• perceive the problem as a whole
• productive thinking: go beyond the bounds of existing associations.
• reproductive thinking: existing associations involving what is already known

Question 16

The neo-gestaltist view (insight problems)

Answer 16

1. Routine problems: quick to find solution
2. Insight problems: poor ability to find solution and pessimistic view

Question 17

Insights into insights

Answer 17

• insights: occur gradually and incrementally over time.
• sleep increases likelihood of insight production.
• either brilliant or wrong

Question 18

Neuroscience and insight

Question 19

Mental sets, entranchment and fixation

Answer 19

• mental sets (frame of mind of existing model representing a problem, context or procedure) can hinder problem solving.
• you fixate on a strategy that usually works.
• influences the solution of routine problems
• functional fixedness: inability to realize something can be used for other functions than its normal one.
• stereotypes are used to overgeneralize solutions.

Question 20

Negative and positive transfer

Answer 20

• transfer is the carryover of knowledge/skills from one problem to another.
• negative transger: early problems make it hard to solve a later one.
• positive transfer: early problem makes it easier to solve a later one.

Question 21

Transfer of analogies

Answer 21

• positive transfer involving analogies
• when domain/context of two problem is similar = more likely to apply analogies
• be guided/look for analogies to find them

Question 22

Intentional transfer: searching for analogies

Answer 22

• must perceive the relationships between them (content attributes are irrelevant)
• similarity does not matter but closely related structural systems of relationships does.
• transparency: you see analogies when they dont exist because of similarity of content = negative transfer of isomorphic problems.

Question 23

Needing Inhibitory control to creating creative solutions - aims

Answer 23

• aim 1: to determine the potential role of inhibitory control in creative idea generation
• aim 2: to determine whether creative idea generation depends specifically on the ability to inhibit fixation effects, dual task costs under a secondary working memory task.

Question 24

Needing Inhibitory control to creative - experiment

Answer 24

• experiment 1: dual task paradigm (creating solutions for the egg while doing the color word stroop task)
• experiment 2:

Question 25

Needing Inhibitory control to creative - results

Answer 25

• experiment 1: inhibitory control load decreased creative capabilities in terms of fluidity and expansivity.
• experiment 2: WM load had no significant effect on creative ideation
• Overall: inhibitory control is a core process to overcoming fixation effects and generating original solutions in a creative task.