Problem Solving Flashcards
What structure can all problems be broken into?
- Original state(Where you are now)
- Goal state(Where you want to go)
- Means(How do get from here to there)
What are the less visible features of problem solving?
- Goal Directedness
- Sub-Goals
- Decomposition
- Operator Application
What are the differences between well-defined and ill-defined problems?
- Well-defined problems have a clear single goal, and successful means to reach it.
- Ill-defined problems:
a) Either it is not known whether successful means exist
b) Or a goal exists but there is no guidance on how to reach it.
Define an operator, and list the forms that it can take.
Operators are the transformations that permit problem-moving to move towards the goal state.
- Deductive or inductive inferences
- Decision-making heuristics
- Learned rules
- Analogical mapping
How are operators acquired?
- Discovery
- Observation
- Instruction
Define the different ways in which people decide on operators
-Backup avoidance
Proscription against undoing the effect of a previous operator
-Difference reduction
Consdering progress to be whatever reduces the difference between the original state and the goal state
(Does not distinguish between blockage and progress, does not consider bigger picture)
-Analogies
Seeing similarities between analogies
-Means-end analysis
1)Works to solve the largest problem first
2)Does not discount operators that are not immediately useful
3)Considers that there may be more than one mean
4)Evaluates the prospect of success for each mean
-Algorithms
What are some factors that can affect problem-solving?
- Background knowledge
- Memory limitations
- Formats and operations
What are mental set, Einstellung effect and functional fixedness?
- Mental set
a) Approaching a problem in a familiar way only, to be inflexible in choice of how problem parts are presented
b) To have background knowledge dictate the means
-Einstellung effect
The negative effect of previous experience when solving new problems
Functional fixedness
-The impaired ability to discover a new use for an object, due to knowledge of the subject’s previous use in a functionally dissimilar context.
Define incubation effects
When problems not thought about and left untended are solved more easily than those that are,
Chain link task. 4hrs vs 30minutes vs No time.
What are insight problems?
Presumably when subconscious System 1 operations the format of a problem, such that the answer suddenly becomes apparent to us.
- People have no idea about these problems at all
- Hard to recreate
- Sudden jumps of understanding.
