Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Psyc 221 Test 2 > problem solving > Flashcards

problem solving Flashcards

1
Q

why is thinking so hard

A
  • higher-order cognition is built on other aspects of cognition
  • does something with the product of perception, memory, and language

– key aspect is creating new knowledge, rather than extracting knowledge

– especially involves frontal lobes of the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

higher order cognition “thinking”

A

problem solving: generating a way to a goal

creativity: generating new ideas

decision making: evaluating alternative outcomes or making choices

reasoning: drawing further inferences from current knowledge and beliefs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

problems - Karl Dunker

A

a problem eists if a living organism has a goal but does not know how the goal is to be reached

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

problem solving

A

problem solving is achievement of goal not currently in grasp

  • getting a good grade
  • cooking peruvian
  • making space travel safer
  • design a house
  • write a story
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Well-defined problems

A
  • clear goal
  • cear starting point
  • clear rules or guidelines

math, physics, chess

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

ill-defined problems

A
  • no clear goal
  • no starting point
  • no clear rules or guidelines

choosing a career

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

problems & Problem solving

A

problem solving is selecting a sequence of operators that will transform the current state into the goal state

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Tower of Hanoi problem

A

states: the set of disk configurations

operators: the movement of disks from one peg to another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

types of problems

A

incremental problem
* problem that can be solved by following a particular set of rules that lead to the answer

insight problem
* no discernable path the solving the problem
* in this problem type, you think about it for a while and then you have a sudden insight (ah ha) experience which gives you a critical pieve of the puzzle that allows you to solve it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Insight problems

A

the subjective “feeling of warmth” increased more gradually and predictably for non-insight problems, but showed a sudden, unexpected rise for insight problems, reflecting the distinct phenomenology of insight problem solving

  • ranked problems for probability of success
  • insight problems opaque to prediction of performance
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Gestalt approach

A
  • how people represent a problem matters a lot
  • solving a problem involves a reorganization or restructuring of problem representation

Insight problems:
– solutions for insight problems often require gestalt process (re-organizing representation)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

information processing approach

A
  • problem space
  • problem solving search through problem space of possibilities (Maze)
  • start with situation want to transform into something new
  • apply different options

Information-processing theories of problem solving focus on constructing a problem space and finding a path through the problem space
* A problem space consists of a representation of the initial state, goal state, and all intervening states.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

searches – methods of solution

A
  • problem solving can be seen as a search through the problem space

Methods:
1. algorithm – generate and test
2. heuristics – difference reduction, means end analysis, analogy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

algorithm – generate test

A

randomly generate solution, then test it
* Brute-force approach
* no knowledge taken into account (eg: trying to break into a safe

advantage: requires no knowledge

disadvantage: problem space may be very large

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

heuristics – difference reduction

A

try to reduce difference between current state and goal state using knowledge

advantage: get to solution in small steps

disadvantage: it may not be possible to get closer on each step

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Hobbits and Orcs

A

backup avoidance: people do not generally want to undo what we have already done

illustrates conflict between difference reduction and backup avoidance
* want to reduce differences
* don’t want to go against this tendency and back up

17
Q

means-ends analysis

A

reducing distance between you and your ultimate goals by setting up subgoals

set up several subgoals that don’t always have to move you closer

18
Q

means-ends analysis steps

A
  1. compare current state to goal and identify the difference
  2. select an operator to reduce the largest difference
  3. if operator cannot be applied, set subgoal of creating preconditions for its application
  4. return to (1) until goal is reached

Example
– i want to be in Tahoe
– I am not in Tahoe
– Flying seems best
– I don’t have a ticket
– subgoal: get ticket
– on-line seems best

19
Q

means-ends analysis conclusions

A
  • evidence comes from verbal protocols
  • Egan & Greeno (1974) found a problem with more subgoals are more difficult

6-disk version of Tower of Hanoi
* probability of error increased with the number of sub-goals that had been set up between the current and preceeding move

20
Q

working backwards

A
  • similar to means-ends, but reverse initial and goal states
  • some problems may be easier to solve in one direction than the other
    – some particularly when there are many possible options in the initial state
21
Q

transfer

A

application of previous experience to problem

positive transfer – using prior knowledge to help solve a problem (analogy)

negative transfer – prior knwoledge hurts problem solving
(mental set, fixation, and functional fixedness)

22
Q

analogy

A

analogies are relationships between 2 similar situations, problems, or concepts

on standardized test
* Merchant: Sell
* Customer: ______ (buy?)

23
Q

analogy example

A

suppose a patient has an inoperabe stomach tumor, there are certain rays that can destroy this tumor if their intensity is great enough. At this intensity however, the rays will destroy the healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor. how can the tumor be destroyed without damaging the healthy tissue through which the rays must travel on their way?

24
Q

analogy positive transfer

A

story about fortress

problem: many roads lead to a fortress
* mines that detonated with large force
* general with large army

25
Q

analogy

A
  • X-ray problem
  • results: without the analogy, 10% found the solution
    —- with the fortress story, 75% solved it

this was only when they were told to look for an analogy. only 30% saw the analogy without prompting

26
Q

obstacles to problem solving negative transfer

A

occurs when the process of solving an earlier problem makes later problems harder to solve

example: water jugs

27
Q

negative transfer

A

participatns learn a complex rule for solving the water jug problem

later, this method prevents participants from seeing an obvious and simpler method

mental set: a tendency to only see solutions that have worked in the past

28
Q

obstacles to problem solving

A

fixation: inability to see problem from new perspective

dots problem: only thinking about staying within dots

matches problem: only thinking about matches in 2D

29
Q

functional fixedness

A

dunkers (1945) – Candle Problem

  • using the materials shown (matches in a match box, some tacks) find a way to mount a candle on the corkboard on the wall so it will burn without dripping

functional fixedness: the failure to see another use for an object

30
Q

method to overcome problem solving obstacles

A

incubation

31
Q

incubation

A

setting a problem aside for a while sometimes helps and can lead to insights

  • step away and do something else
  • come back to problem

why might this work?
– let unimportant stuff go
– mental set may weaken
– new stimuli may change view
– can find new analogy
– relax and see new cues

32
Q

expertise and problem solving

A

expert: someone with at least 10 years of experience

physics experts and novices
* experts grouped problems based on structural similarities, novices on surface similarities.

experts see problems differently
* they see patterns in information and are able to identify solutions
* experts develop extensive knowledge that impacts the way they identity problems, organize and interpret data and formulate solutions
– so moving from novice to expert involves much more than simply developing a set of generic skills and strategies

Psyc 221 Test 2 (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions