problem solving and expertise Flashcards
what is a problem
a situation that blocks the achievement of a goal
types of problems
well defined
ill defined
well defined problems
clearly defined goals
clear options for solving
way to measure the quality of solutions
e.g. puzzles
ill defined problems
everything else
goals, options, quality of solution- hard to define
e.g. finding a job, solving a crime
gestalt approach
- kohler
- studied chimpanzees solving problems
- tried to witness productive thinking
- banana hard to reach- failed then looked around room and made new approach
surface features
irrelevant but significant aspect of problem
functional fixedness
cognitive bias that limits persons ability to use an object only in the way that its traditionally used
einstellung
tendency to rely on known solutions, missing better solutions
analogical transfer
applying knowledge or solutions from 1 context to a different but similar one
when does analogical transfer succeed
- when problems are directly compared
- when problem content is more similar
problem space
all possible states between initial state and goal state
operators
actions that can change current state
solutions given by sequence of operations needed to move from initial to goal state
computational approach
problem solving as hill climbing- goal is to get to to, progress by going uphill
difficulty of backtracking
means end analysis- looking for actions that can remove specific differences between current and goal states
general problem solver
- recursive program for solving problems in general using means- end analysis
3 steps:
1.is current state the goal state?
if not- 2. identify difference, find relevant method then apply method
BUT needs to be given problem knowledge
