problem solving Flashcards
newell and simon
problem solving is seen as a process of moving through ‘problem space’
what is problem space
is the transition between the initial space and the goal space.
it contains all the possibilities to get from initial to goal and it takes more than one step to do so
problem space example
cat
what are the 2 approaches to problem space
algorithmic
heurstic
what is a heuristic
rule of thumb, think that more or less normally works
it narrows down the routes through problem space
where does a heuristic come from
inbuilt biases
learning from experiences
what is an algorithm
a technique of transitioning through the problem space
what 4 things to algorithms focus on
exhaustive search-working your way through until you find what you’re going to engage in
following directions
means end analysis-closer and closer to a solution until you get there
local minima-the best chance at moving forward
what 2 problems may problem solving have
functional fixedness
negative set
what is functional fixedness
people are stuck in their own way of thinking
what is negative set
having a negative mind set
luchens 1942
functional fixedness
luchens 1942
study
how to get to target using a, b and c
when p’s get to question 8, the pattern doesnt fit anymore
when you set people up in a way of solving things, they get SET in that way, then when faces with something that doesnt fit, they are more likely to fail
negative mind set
“move” one glass
people get suck on one word and cannot move away from it
what is incubation
taking a break from a task makes us more likely to be able to complete it later
incubation
silveira 1971
silveira 1971
incubation
incubation
study
55% solved the puzzle in 30mins when the links were in front of them
group 1- had 15 mins to think about it, 30mins break and then 15mins to complete it and 64% completed it
group 2-given task, 4 hours later had to come back an complete it, 85% did it
why does incubation work
the break allowed participants to subconsciously work on the problem. During this break, out of the millions of ‘problem paths’ available, some became ‘lit up’ some of the ‘dead’ ones became rejected and hence our ‘problem space’ became clearer
what are the 3 biases in heuristic problem solving
tverksy and kahneman 1970s
representative
simulation
availability
what is the representative bias
used when making judgements about an event under certainty
e.g tossing a coin, which sequence is more likely?
each coin toss is 50% equal chance
gambler’s fallacy
what is the simulation bias
how easily we can imagine we are in that situation
what is availability bias
using the information available to make judgements about something
tversky and kahneman 1970s
heuristic biases
