Problem Solving Flashcards
Lovett (2002) defined a problem as what?
an obstacle between the present state and a goal, and it isn’t clear how to proceed
what are the four types of problems?
- well-defined
- ill-defined
- knowledge-lean
- knowledge-rich
what are well-defined problems?
problems with an answer, where all info is present and you know what needs to be done
what are ill-defined problems?
problems that may have more than one correct answer, and the route to the answer is not clear and its not obvious when goal is reached
what types of problem does research typically focus on?
well-defined and knowledge-lean
what are knowledge-lean problems?
problems that can be solved without prior knowledge e.g. finding a parking space
what are knowledge-rich problems?
problems that are only solvable with relevant knowledge
what is a cognitive miser?
someone who is economical with their time and effort on a task that requires thinking
what are the three approaches to problem solving?
- Gestalt (whole) approach
- information processing
- using analogies
how do you solve a problem using the Gestalt approach?
by restructuring it in another way - ‘representational restructuring’
insight (when the solution is suddenly seen) is caused by restructuring
is insight real?
it is real in that people experience it, but it may not be a separate cognitive process
what are two barriers to problem solving?
- functional fixedness
- mental set
what is functional fixedness?
when ideas about an objects function can interfere with using the object more usefully
what is mental set?
continuing to use a strategy that is not the most helpful
what are two ways to increase insight?
incubation and sleep
what is incubation?
stopping thinking about the problem for a while
what is a limit of the Gestalt approach to problem solving?
Gestalt psychologists have not explained HOW the brain is involved in solving problems
Newell & Simon’s (1970s) Information Processing Approach sees problem solving how?
problems are solved using a search process to choose between all possible options to get from the initial state to the end goal
what methods are involved in solving problems in the information processing approach?
- planning
- heuristic methods e.g. hill climbing
- progress monitoring
Koppenol-Gonzalez et al. (2010) found the tower of hanoi task used what method involved in IPA?
planning - p’s who spent longer planning made fewer mistakes
- limit on amount of planning due to limits in the STM
do heuristic methods solve the problem of limitations to the STM?
yes - they’re ‘computationally cheap’
when is the hill climbing method most often used?
when we have no clear understanding of the way to achieve the goal
MacGregor et al. (2001) study on means-end analysis found what?
participants performed worse if they THOUGHT progress was being made - when they realise, they switch strategies
how have neuropsychological studies provided evidence for IPA?
patients with damage to the PFC perform worse
what are the pros of IPA in regards to problem solving?
- applies rules to reduce complexity of problem solving
- general enough to apply to a variety of problems
- fits with standard models of memory
what are the cons of IPA?
- assumes problem solving is serial
- don’t know if it can be applied to ill-defined problems
what are analogies?
using the solution of one problem to guide the solution to another (similar) problem
medical expertise regarding cancer tested in eye tracking studies found what?
the more medical expertise, the faster eyes move to diagnostic areas, suggesting the doctors use holistic and global processes rather than a bit by bit search
does how you frame a problem influence its complexity and difficulty?
yes
