Problem Solving (chpt. 11) Flashcards
Problem
A difference between an original state and a desired state that is not steadily changed
Problem Finding
Even important problems may not be obvious children see problems more easily
Problem Representation
Requirements, correspondence, internal to external consistency, blanket in yogurt in a blanket does not mean a bed cover
Experiment: The five handed monster problem
Participants had to read the problem monster problem 3 monsters held 3 different size globe s, m ,l. Sentences with important parts are re-read more often
Ways of representing problems
symbols, math word problems, symbols make manipulations possible
WORP: Matrix
best for properties and positions
WORP:Diagrams
good for assembly problem
WORP:Hierarchical tree diagrams
probability problems
is a figure that uses a tree like structure t show various possible options in a problem. The kind of diagram is especially helpful in showing the relationship between categorized items
WORP: Visual Images
Good for comparison problems
Situated cognition
real world context are information rich
we often use helpful information in our immediate environment to create spatial representations we make decisions about the up-down dimension more quickly than decisions about the left-right dimension
Algorithm
Guaranteed success, but may take a very long time example systematic random search
is a method that will always produce a solution to the problem although the process can sometimes be inefficient
Hueristics
rule of thumb methods usually successful and comparatively quick example generating common names to help remember a person’s name
Thinking
requires you to go beyond the information you were given so that you can reach a goal. The goal may be a solution, a belief, or a decision,
Problem Solving
refers to the processes necessary to reach a goal, typically in situations where the solution is not immediately obvious
- The initial State
- The goal state and
- The obstacles
Initial state
describes the situation at the beginning of the problem
Goal State
when you solve the problem
Obstacles
describe the restrictions that make it difficult to proceed from the initial state to the goal state
Understanding
means that you have constructed a well organized mental representation of the problem based on both the information provided in the problem and your own previous experience
Problem representation
refers to the way you translate the elements of the problem into a different format.
Ecological Validity
if the conditions in which the research is conducted are similar to the natural setting in which the results will be applied
Exhaustive search
in which you try out all possible answers using a specified system.
Analogy Approach
in problem solving you employ a solution to a similar earlier problem to help you solve a new problem
Problem Isomorphs
to refer to a set of problems that have the same underlying structures and solution but different specific details
Surface Features
such as the specific objects and terms used in the question
Structural Features
the underlying core that they must understand in order to solve the problem correctly.
Subproblems
first you divide the problem into a number of subproblems or smaller problems and then you try to reduce the difference between the initial state and the goal state for each of the subproblems
Meansends hueristic
is appropriate because it requires you to identify the ends or final result that you want and then figure out the means or methods that will use to reach those ends
Computer Simulation
they write a computer program that will perform a task in the same way that a human world
General Problem Solver(GPS)
is a program where basic strategy is means ends analysis
Hill climbing heuristic
and you reach a choice point you consistently choose the alternative that seems to lead most directly toward your goal
Expertise
demonstrates consistently exceptional skill and performance on representative tasks for a particular area
Parallel processing
handles two or more items at the same time
Serial Processing
handles only one item at a time
Mental set
you keep trying the same solution you used in previous problems
Fixed mindset
you believe that you possess a certain amount of intelligence and other skills and no amount of effort can help you perform better
Growth mindset
you believe that you can cultivate your intelligence and other skills you challenge yourself to perform better
Functional Fixedness
mean that we tend to assign stable or fixed functions to an object
Insight Problem
the problem initially seems impossible to solve but then an alternative approach suddenly burst into your consciousness
Noninsight problem
you solve the problem gradually by using your memory reasoning skills, and a routine set of strategies
Creativity
requires solutions that are both novel and useful
Divergent production
or the number of different responses made to a test item
Convergent production
asks the test taker to supply a single best response and the researchers measure the quality of that response
Extrinsic Motivation
or the motivation to work on a task not because you find it enjoyable but i order to earn a promised reward or to win a competition
Intrinsic Motivation
the motivation to work on tasks for their own sake because you find them interesting, exciting, or personally challenging
