S2W3Prob Flashcards
Well defined
All aspects of the problem are clearly specified
The goal is well specified
Ill-defined problems
Underspecified
Many possible strategies
Most problems we encounter are ill-defined
Psychologists have focused on well-defined problems
Knowledge-rich problems:
Only solvable by having relevant specific knowledge
Knowledge-lean problems
Most information needed to solve contained in problem statement
Do not require specific knowledge
often used in research as minimise individual differences knowledge
Insight (Gestalt)
Problems requiring productive thinking solved using insight
The flashback moment when you suddenly realised how to solve a problem
A sudden quick solving of a problem
Brain regions in insight problems
Remote Associates Test (Bowden et al., 2005)
Three words presented and participants thought of a word going with each one to form compound words (fence-post).
Participants indicated insight was involved on some trials but not others.
The right hemisphere is more associated with insight than the left .
Facilitating insight: hints
Two-string problem (Maier, 1931):
Tie two strings together when one cannot be reached while other one is held.
Function of pliers gets in the way of seeing them as a weight.
Insight when subject realizes that pliers can be attatched to one and then swung like a pendulum.
Accidentally brushing against triggers insight:
Restructure representation of:
How to achieve solution
Function of pliers
Thomas and Lleras (2009) follow up 2 string
Even subtle hints are useful.
Got participants to either swing or stretch arms.
Those who swung arms more likely to solve the problem.
Facilitating insight: incubation and sleep
Sleeping on a problem makes it easier to solve it
A problem is put aside for some time
The subconscious mind continues to work
Sio and Ormerod (2009) meta-analysis (sleep)
Incubation effects were reported in 73% of the studies
Incubation effects were stronger with creative problems having multiple solutions than with linguistic and verbal problems having a single solution
Larger effects observed when more preparation time before incubation
Other sleep insight findings
Sleep enhanced performance on difficult problems but not easy ones (Sio et al., 2013).
Forgetting misleading information is important (if you’re going down the wrong path in solving a problem you can sleep on it and forget the misleading information (Penaloza & Calvillo, 2012).
Representational change theory
Combines:
• Gestalt ideas
• Information-processing approach
Encounter impasse because we have represented problem wrongly.
Need to change the problem representation for insight to occur.
Three ways:
Constraint relaxation, reencoding, elaboration.
Elaboration (representational change)
New problem information is added to the representation
Constraint relaxation (representational change)
Inhibitions on what is regarded as permissible are removed
Re-encoding (representational change)
Some aspect of the problem representation is reinterpreted
Öllinger et al. (2014) (representational change)
Prior knowledge leads to formation of a problem representation, followed by a search process to search for solutions.
Repeatedly unsuccessful search process:
Impasse/block
New problem
New representation formed to try to overcome impasse followed by another search process.
A search process may be necessary even after an impasse has been overcome by insight
Knoblich et al. (1999) (representational change) - roman numerals
Each problem involved moving a single stick to make a correct maths sum.
Type A:
• Change two values in the equation
Type B:
• Change an operator (+/-)
Experience tells us to change numbers not operators (Type A)
Constraint relaxation harder for Type B problems.
Initial representation was based on assumption that values had to be changed so took longer.
Brain and representational change
Insight problems involve lateral prefrontal cortex – those with damage do not impose artificial constraints.
Chi and Snyder brain rep. change
Brain stimulation reduced excitability of left lateral prefrontal cortex and increased the right.
60% solved hardest matchstick problem compared to 20% controls
Nine-dot problem
Draw four straight lines that go through all nine dots without lifting pencil.
People initially assume that the lines must remain within the confines of the square formed by the dots.
Key insight is to realise that this constraint must be relaxed
Progress monitoring:
Worse performance when participants had the illusion of making progress.
Representational change: limitations
Cannot predict when/why problem’s representation will change
Individual differences not considered
Constraint relaxation often not the only thing needed to solve insight problems