Chapter 23

Key Terms

Well-defined problems: problems in which the initial state, the goal, and the methods available for solving them are clearly laid out.

Ill-defined problems: problems that are imprecisely specified; for example, the initial state, goal state, and the methods available to solve the problem may be unclear.

Insight: the experience of suddenly realising how to solve a problem based on looking at in a different way.

Incubation: the notion that problems can sometimes be solved by putting them aside for a while.

Functional fixedness: an inflexible focus on the usual functions of an object in problem solving.

Mental set: a fixed or blinkered approach based on problem solutions that worked in the past that prevents people from thinking flexibly.

Heuristics: rules of thumb used to solve problems.

Means-ends analysis: an approach to problem solving based on reducing the difference between the current problem state and the solution.

Hill climbing: a simple heuristic used by problem solvers in which they focus on moves that will apparently put them closer to the goal or problem solution.

Template: as applied to chess, an abstract structure consisting of a mixture of fixed and variable information about chess pieces and positions.

Deliberate practice: a form of practice in which the learner is provided with informative feedback and has the chance to correct his/her errors.

Creativity: the ability to produce original, useful and ingenious solutions to problems.

Weblinks

The water jug problem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtg9pSJsRSg

Try out some matchstick puzzles
http://brainden.com/matchstick-puzzles.htm

Functional fixedness – fun examples
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksgaup4zqz0

An article on functional fixedness
http://www.start2think.com/fixedness.html

Full-text digital archive of Herbert Simon’s publications, reports, teaching materials, lectures, correspondence and more
http://diva.library.cmu.edu/Simon/

A Psychology Today article about how convergent and divergent thinking foster creativity
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201202/both-convergent-and-divergent-thinking-are-necessary-creativity

Video of a pigeon solving the classic box-and-banana problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDntbGRPeEU

Insight learning: A video showing a chimpanzee problem solving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPz6uvIbWZE

Footage of Kohler’s insight experiments with chimpanzees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD2_RU1o_Po

An exercise in considering judgment heuristics and biases
http://www.nku.edu/~garns/165/pptj_h.html

Test whether your decision making is based on the availability heuristic
http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/11/e11expand.html

Zelko, H., Zammar, G.R., Ferreira, A.P.B., Phadtare, A., Shah, J., & Pietrobon, R. (2010). Selection mechanisms underlying high impact biomedical research – A qualitative analysis and causal model. Public Library of Science One, 5, e10535. This article provides insights into individual differences in the problem-solving strategies used by leading scientists
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0010535

Robertson, S.I. (2001). Problem solving. This book contains comprehensive coverage of theory and research on problem solving
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415203005/