PROBLEM SOLVING QUIZ

Question 1

When the process of analogical problem solving was applied to the fortress and radiation problems, which of the following represented the mapping step of this process?

a. Connecting the fortress with the tumor
b. Developing schemas for each individual problem
c. Likening the dangerous mines to the dangerous tumor
d. Generalizing from groups of soldiers to using many rays to solve the problem

Answer 1

a. Connecting the fortress with the tumor

Question 2

Gestalt psychologists consider problem solving as a process involving

a. sensory operators.
b. multiple goal states.
c. reorganization or restructuring.
d. continuity and form.

Answer 2

c. reorganization or restructuring.

Question 3

Gentner and Goldinmeadow (2003) illustrated that analogical encoding causes problem solvers to pay attention to _____ features that _____ their ability to solve other problems.

a. surface; diminish
b. structural; diminish
c. structural; enhance
d. surface;

Answer 3

c. structural; enhance

Question 4

In analogical problem solving, the _____ problem is the problem that an individual is trying to solve, and the
______ problem, which has been solved in the past, is used as a guide for reaching that solution.

a. prototype; target
b. exemplar; source
c. target; source
d. source; target

Answer 4

c. target; source

Question 5

Dr. Curious is doing a follow-up study to the mutilated checkerboard problem experiment. In this new study, participants solve the following shoe problem before tackling the checkerboard problem. By doing this, Dr. Curious is studying the effect of ___ on problem solving.

The shoe problem: A first-grade class is using a trampoline in gym class, so all the children have removed their shoes, which are all jumbled in a large pile. One of the students, Miguel, is leaving early, so the teacher tells him to grab his shoes and report to the lobby. In his hurry, Miguel grabs two identical left-footed, size 6 red sneakers and runs to his mother still sock-footed. Will the remaining students be able to shoe-up with the remaining shoes without getting a foot-ache?

a. perceptual segregation
b. divergent thinking
c. anaphoric interference
d. analogies

Answer 5

d. analogies

Question 6

Metcalfe and Wiebe gave participants problems to solve and asked them to make “warmth” judgments every 15 seconds to indicate how close they felt they were to a solution. The purpose of this experiment was to

a. measure the time-course of solving well-defined versus ill-defined problems.
b. show that some problems are easier to solve than others.
c. demonstrate a difference between how people solve insight and non-insight problems.
d. show how people progress through the problem space as they solve a problem.

Answer 6

c. demonstrate a difference between how people solve insight and non-insight problems.

Question 7

Holly was in her mother-in-law’s kitchen preparing lunch for the family. When she was ready to dish up the soup, she searched all the cupboards and drawers for a ladle but couldn’t find one. She decided to wait until her mother-in- law returned to ask her where the ladle was, leaving the soup in the stove pot. Her mother-in-law later explained that the ladle had been broken, so she told Holly to use a coffee mug to “spoon” the soup into bowls. Holly’s ability to solve the “dish up the soup” problem was hindered by which of the following obstacles?

a. Perseveration
b. Divergent thinking
c. Functional fixedness
d. Discriminability

Answer 7

c. Functional fixedness

Question 8

Which of the following statements does NOT apply to the results of research on differences between how experts and novices solve problems?

a. Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field.
b. Experts often spend more time analyzing problems than novices.
c. Experts possess more knowledge about their fields than novices.
d. Experts often organize problems differently than novices, based on principles.

Answer 8

a. Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field.

Question 9

In the two-string problem, tying the pliers to one of the strings best represents a(n) _____ state.

a. goal
b. functional fixedness
c. intermediate
d. initial

Answer 9

c. intermediate

Question 10

20. The information processing approach describes problem solving as a process involving
    a. design fixation.
    b. creative cognition.
    c. insight.
    d. search.

Answer 10

D

Question 10

19. Newell and Simon were early pioneers in designing computer programs that could solve problems. Their research program was based on the idea that problem solving is a process that involves
    a. insight.
    b. algorithms.
    c. parity.
    d. search.

Answer 10

D

Question 10

21. In the Tower of Hanoi problem, the_____________________ state involves having three discs stacked on the left peg, with the middle and right pegs empty.
    a. transitory
    b. goal
    c. intermediate
    d. initial

Answer 10

D

Question 11

23. Actions that take the problem from one state to another are known as
    a. intermediate states.
    b. subgoals.
    c. operators.
    d. mental sets

Answer 11

C

Question 11

24. The elements of the problem space include all of the following EXCEPT
    a. initial state.
    b. operators.
    c. goal state.
    d. intermediate states.

Answer 11

B

Question 11

25. The typical purpose of subgoals is to
    a. solve insight problems.
    b. move the solver directly from the initial state to the goal state.
    c. bring the problem solver closer and closer to the goal state.
    d. avoid the need to perform means-end analysis

Answer 11

C

Question 12

26. Intermediate states can be created by
    a. restructuring initial states.
    b. restructuring goal states.
    c. creating operators.
    d. creating subgoals.

Answer 12

D

Question 13

27. In Kaplan and Simon’s experiment, they presented different versions of the mutilated checkerboard problem. Participants in the______________________ group had the fastest response time.
    a. blank
    b. color
    c. black and pink
    d. bread and butter

Answer 13

D

Question 14

28. Kaplan and Simon’s experiment presented different versions of the mutilated checkerboard problem. The main purpose of their experiment was to demonstrate that
    a. people arrive at the solution to an insight problem suddenly, but proceed more methodically towards the solution of a non-insight problem.
    b. a person’s mental set can hinder finding a solution to a problem.
    c. people often have to backtrack within the problem space to arrive at an answer to a problem.
    d. the way the problem is represented can influence the ease of problem solving.

Answer 14

D

Question 15

9. The best description of the purpose of think-aloud protocols is that they are used to determine

a. what information a person is attending to while solving a problem.
b. which people can be considered more creative in ability to solve problems.
c. how to develop computer programs that best mimic human problem solving.
d. how a person’s expertise increases his or her likelihood of solving a problem, relative to a beginner.

Answer 15

A

Question 15

30. The analogy that makes the solution to the mutilated checkerboard problem obvious is the____________________ problem.
    a. light bulb
    b. Tower of Hanoi
    c. radiation
    d. Russian marriage

Answer 15

D

Question 16

31. Dr. Curious is doing a follow-up study to the mutilated checkerboard problem experiment. In this new study, participants solve the following shoe problem before tackling the checkerboard problem. By doing this, Dr. Curious is studying the effect of__________________ on problem solving.
    The shoe problem: A first-grade class is using a trampoline in gym class, so all the children have removed their shoes, which are all jumbled in a large pile. One of the students, Miguel, is leaving early, so the teacher tells him to grab his shoes and report to the lobby. In his hurry, Miguel grabs two identical left-footed, size 6 red sneakers and runs to his mother still sock-footed. Will the remaining students be able to shoe-up with the remaining shoes without getting a foot-ache?
    a. analogies
    b. anaphoric interference
    c. perceptual segregation
    d. divergent thinking

Answer 16

a. analogies

Question 16

32. In analogical problem solving, the_____________________ problem is the problem that an individual is trying to solve, and the____________________problem, which has been solved in the past, is used as a guide for reaching that solution. .
    a. source; target
    b. target; source
    c. prototype; target
    d. exemplar; source

Answer 16

B

Question 16

33. The ability to shift experience from one problem solving situation to a similar problem is known as
    a. analogical encoding.
    b. analogical transfer.
    c. insight.
    d. in vivo problem solving.

Answer 16

B

Question 17

34. The radiation problem can be solved using
    a. representation and restructuring.
    b. means-end analysis.
    c. warmth judgments.
    d. mental set.

Answer 17

A

Question 18

35. The radiation problem was used in your text to illustrate the role of______________________ in problem solving.
    a. means-end analysis
    b. functional fixedness
    c. analogy
    d. mental set

Answer 18

C

Question 19

36. When the process of analogical problem solving was applied to the fortress and radiation problems, which of the following represented the mapping step of this process?
    a. Likening the dangerous mines to the dangerous tumor
    b. Developing schemas for each individual problem
    c. Connecting the fortress with the tumor
    d. Generalizing from groups of soldiers to using many rays to solve the probleM

Answer 19

C

Question 20

42. Holyoak and Koh presented different versions of the light bulb problem to assist in solving the radiation problem. They found the______________________ version to be more effective, because it had______________________ features in common with the radiation problem.
    a. insufficient-intensity; surface
    b. insufficient-intensity; structural
    c. fragile-glass; surface
    d. fragile-glass; structural

Answer 20

D

Question 20

40. People are most successful at noticing an analogous relationship between problems if they focus on
    a. surface features.
    b. structural features.
    c. operators.
    d. mental sets

Answer 20

B

Question 20

37. Considering the fortress and the radiation problems together, the fortress problem represents the__________________ problem.
    a. source
    b. target
    c. exemplar
    d. prototype

Answer 20

A

Question 21

38. Gick and Holyoak consider which of the following to be the most difficult step to achieve in the process of analogical problem solving?
    a. Noticing that there is an analogous relationship between problems because most participants need prompting before they notice a connection
    b. Mapping corresponding parts between the problems because the elements are difficult to identify
    c. Applying the mapping to generate a parallel solution because of the difficulty in generalizing from one problem to another
    d. Solving the problem through reorganization because past experience can make it more difficult to reorganize a problem

Answer 21

A

Question 22

39. Gick and Holyoak proposed that analogical problem solving involves the following three steps:
    a. restructuring, searching, and simulating.
    b. noticing, mapping, and applying.
    c. surfacing, structuring, and generalizing.
    d. well-defining, insighting, and means-end analysis.

Answer 22

B

Question 23

43. Gentner and Goldinmeadow (2003) illustrated that analogical encoding causes problem solvers to pay attention to___________________ features_________________ that their ability to solve other problems.
    a. surface; diminish
    b. surface; enhance
    c. structural; diminish
    d. structural; enhance

Answer 23

B

Question 24

44. The analogical paradox refers to problem-solving differences between
    a. experts and novices.
    b. laboratory and real-world settings.
    c. experimental groups and control groups.
    d. well- and ill-defined problems.

Answer 24

B

Question 25

45. A researcher records a brainstorming session in an industrial research and development department rather than in an artificial laboratory setting. Later, she analyzes the recorded discussions, identifying certain problem-solving techniques. This research is an example of______________________ research.
    a. think-aloud protocol
    b. situationally-produced mental set
    c. environmental functional fixedness
    d. in vivo problem-solving

Answer 25

D

Question 26

46. The text’s discussion of the research on in vivo problem solving highlighted that_______________________ play(s) an important role in solving scientific problems.
    a. analogies
    b. insight
    c. flexibility
    d. subgoals

Answer 26

A

Question 26

48. Which of the following statements does NOT apply to the results of research on differences between how experts and novices solve problems?
    a. Experts possess more knowledge about their fields than novices.
    b. Experts often organize problems differently than novices, based on principles.
    c. Experts often spend more time analyzing problems than novices.
    d. Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field.

Answer 26

D

Question 26

47. Experts categorize problems based on
    a. how similar the objects in the problem are.
    b. general principles that problems share.
    c. surface and deep structures.
    d. event-specific knowledge.

Answer 26

B

Question 27

49. Experts____________________________ than novices.
    a. spend less time analyzing problems
    b. are better at reasoning in general
    c. are more likely to be open to new ways of looking at problems
    d. take a more effective approach to organizing the solution to a problem

Answer 27

D

Question 28

50. In its discussion of expertise and problem solving, your text identifies the kind of scientists who are most likely to make revolutionary discoveries in their fields. This particular discussion suggests that______________________ may be more important than_____________________ in creative thinking.
    a. experience; structure
    b. structure; experience
    c. flexibility; experience
    d. experience; flexibility

Answer 28

C

Question 29

51. Which of the following is not true about divergent thinking?
    a. It is open-ended.
    b. It has a large number of potential solutions.
    c. It is the cornerstone of creativity
    d. It has a single correct answer.

Answer 29

D

Question 30

2. Ali works for Citrus Squeeze, a company that makes orange juice. Sales of their calcium-enhanced OJ have been poor, and the product was cancelled. His factory still had three cases of cartons, and Ali was told he could take them if he wanted them. With the cartons, Ali made several birdfeeders for his backyard and also planted tree seedlings in some of them; he used the remaining ones to build a “fort” for his four-year-old son. Ali’s use of the cartons represents
   a. convergent thinking.
   b. divergent thinking.
   c. insight.
   d. hierarchical organization.

Answer 30

B

Question 31

53. Phoenix Decorating Company is responsible for designing and building many of the floral floats seen in the Tournament of Roses Parade every New Year’s Day. Phoenix’s designers start preparing the floats for the next year’s parade soon after the first of the year. For each corporate sponsor, Phoenix gets their best advertising team members, and they sit in a room for several hours throwing out every idea they can come up with, no matter how good or bad it is. After a substantial list has been created, they then go through every idea and rate its merits or deficits, until they come up with the best idea to pitch to the corporate sponsor. This process demonstrates
    a. creative cognition.
    b. group brainstorming.
    c. convergent thinking.
    d. structural analyses.

Answer 31

B

Question 32

54. In the movie Apollo 13, astronauts aboard a damaged spacecraft have to build a carbon dioxide filter out of random items that are aboard the ship with them. If they do not, they will all die rapidly of carbon dioxide poisoning. The fact that they are able to do so with the help of experts on Earth is similar to the__________________________ approach developed by Ronald Finke.
    a. convergent thinking
    b. creative cognition
    c. divergent thinking
    d. the means-end analysis

Answer 32

C

Question 33

55. Finke’s “creating an object” experiment had participants create a novel object by combining parts. Once they created an object, they were given the name of an object category and instructed to interpret their creation as a practical object or device within that category. Finke used the term preinventive forms to describe the
    a. object parts.
    b. novel objects before a function was described.
    c. practical objects within the category.
    d. inventions rated high in both practicality and originality

Answer 33

B

Question 34

56. Finke’s creating an object studies show that people were more likely to come up with creative uses for preinventive objects if they
    a. made the objects themselves.
    b. had received training in creative thinking.
    c. had been preselected as “creative” individuals.
    d. were told they were expected to be creative.

Answer 34

A

Question 34

56. Finke’s creating an object studies show that people were more likely to come up with creative uses for preinventive objects if they
    a. made the objects themselves.
    b. had received training in creative thinking.
    c. had been preselected as “creative” individuals.
    d. were told they were expected to be creative.

Answer 34

A

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT commonly associated with people who are considered highly creative?
a. Daydreaming
b. Analysis
c. Mindfulness
d. Solitude

Answer 35

B

Question 36

1. Janet is alone in a room that contains a chair and a shelf with a book resting on top. She attempts to retrieve the book, but the shelf is a foot above her reach. How will Janet retrieve the book? Psychologists would NOT classify this scenario as a problem because
   a. the solution is immediately obvious.
   b. there is an obstacle between the present state and the goal state.
   c. the initial state is not clearly defined.
   d. the goal state is not clearly defined.

Answer 36

A

Question 36

2. Which of the following is not part of a complete definition of a problem?
   a. Is difficult
   b. Involves obstacles between one’s current state and a desired goal
   c. Has one correct answer
   d. The solution is not obvious

Answer 36

C

Question 37

Gick and Holyoak consider which of the following to be the most difficult step to achieve in the process of analogical problem solving?

Applying the mapping to generate a parallel solution because of the difficulty in generalizing from one problem to another
Mapping corresponding parts between the problems because the elements are difficult to identify
Solving the problem through reorganization because past experience can make it more difficult to reorganize a problem
Noticing that there is an analogous relationship between problems because most participants need prompting before they notice a connection

Answer 37

Noticing that there is an analogous relationship between problems because most participants need prompting before they notice a connection

Question 38

Insight refers to

the tendency to respond in a certain manner, based on past experience.
prior learning hindering problem solving.
the sudden realization of a problem’s solution.
prior learning facilitating problem solving.

Answer 38

the sudden realization of a problem’s solution.

Question 39

The fortress problem involves a fortress and marching soldiers, while the radiation problem involves a tumor and rays. Therefore, the two problems have very different

operators.
structural features.
surface features.
mental sets

Answer 39

surface features

Question 40

People are most successful at noticing an analogous relationship between problems if they focus on

structural features.
surface features.
mental sets.
operators.

Answer 40

surface features.

Question 41

The ability to shift experience from one problem solving situation to a similar problem is known as

in vivo problem solving.
analogical transfer.
analogical encoding.
insight.

Answer 41

analogical transfer.