problem solving

Question 1

problem solving

Answer 1

multi step process to shift your current problem state to a goal state

higher order state
- math, social, everything - super broad

Question 2

problem solving cycle

Answer 2

1. define problem
2. brainstorm
3. solution
4. try solution
5. review results

Question 3

what are the three characteristics of problem solving

Answer 3

cyclical - enact steps that occur in a loop

recursive- repeat the cycle for as many times as necessary to find a solution

applicable - apply successful cycles (solutions) to new problems

Question 4

types of problems

Answer 4

well defined problems
- requirements are unambiguous
- all information is present
- applying rules or algorithms
- puzzles

ill defined problems
- how to overcome problem/goal is ambiguous
- requires added information
- situational
- my laptop is broken

Question 5

goal directedness

Answer 5

characteristic of well defined problems
problems with a defined goal state and set task constraints such that there are clear steps - ex. sudoku puzzle

Question 6

social solving

Answer 6

a form of ill defined problem solving

Question 7

anagram study and cognitive load

Answer 7

tested people for ill defined - no constraints and well defined anagrams -constraints (word jumble)

greater activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex for ill defined anagrams

solving ill defined problems carries a greater ‘cognitive load’ (amount of information held in mind at one time

Question 8

Moravec’s paradox

Answer 8

“everything that is easy is hard, and everything thats hard is easy”

AI can solve well defined problems well, but not ill defined problems and simple skills

it is often defined by the use of algorithms, deep neural networks, that work well with certainty but not with uncertainty

Question 9

problem state

Answer 9

a representation that includes
- initial and goals states
- intermediate paths and operators: actions to change between states
- task constraints

Question 10

The tower of Hanoi

Answer 10

example of a problem state
given pegs and disks and told to move 3 discs from peg A to C so they are in the same initial order

constraints:
- as few moves as possible
- no disc can lie on top of a smaller one
- only one disc can be moved at a time

Question 11

a brute force approach

Answer 11

systematic algotrithm that represents all the possible steps from the problems to goal state

blind search, guaranteed to find a solution, but inefficient

can lead to combinatorial explosion

Question 12

combinatorial explosion

Answer 12

computing too many alternatives

Question 13

Heuristics

Answer 13

strategies to select moves in a problem space

helps avoid combinatorial explosion
- two examples
- hill climbing and means end

Question 14

hill climbing strategy

Answer 14

difference reduction strategy

select the operation that brings you closer to the goal without examining the whole problem space - just moving up towards goal

can lead to a false outcome, a ‘local maxima’ that is mistaken as the final goal

doesn’t work for problems that require you to move away from a goal in order to solve it

Question 15

means ends strategy

Answer 15

moving more dynamically through problem state - more flexible than hill climbing

what ‘means’ do i have to make the current state look like the goal state i want to be in?

identifying sub problems to complete the goal

includes forward and backwards movements and constantly evaluating the difference between current and goal states

Question 16

expertise and problem solving

Answer 16

experts are more familiar with certain information and so they represent a problem differently than non experts

tend to take a more holistic or global view

Question 17

analogical problem solving

Answer 17

making comparisons between two situations - applying the solution from one of the situations to the other situation

however, people aren’t good at using analogies unless they are reminded/given a hint

without the hint, a person must look beyond surface details, and consider the general structure (the gist)

Question 18

target and source analogical problem solving

Answer 18

target: problem you are trying to solve

source: past situation/example you are applying

Question 19

when does analogical problem solving have the best success

Answer 19

when a source and target share surface and structure

Question 20

THe Einstellung effect

Answer 20

the bias to use familiar methods to solve a problem

can result in an inability to seek and use a better method to solve a given problem

leads to rigid thinking and blocks in problem solving

Question 21

two results of einstellung effect

Answer 21

functional fixedness and mental fixedness

Question 22

functional fixedness

Answer 22

the inability to see beyond the most common use of a particular object

“fixed” on the function of an object you know

Question 23

mental fixedness

Answer 23

responding with previously learned rule sequences even when they are inappropriate or less productive

the tendency to respond inflexibly to a particular type of problem and not alter your response

Question 24

classic test of functional fixedness

Answer 24

maier’s two string problem
- person in a room two strings, have to bring together, but strings are too far apart to touch
- paint cans, other stuff, stc

ex. can tie paint brush or can to one string and swing it to touch the other while u hold

in 10 min only 39% of ps can find solution

if given hint (told to swing arms on a break) found answer quicker

Question 25

candle problem and children

Answer 25

candle problem - told to attach candle to the wall so it doesn’t drip wax - given different objects

children who were unexperienced with objects solved problem quicker

Question 26

gewater jug problem

Answer 26

example of mental fixedness

given jugs and told to come to a desired amount of water

found that people get stuck in applying the same solution to every problem, even when there is a simpler solution

however, if problem is given out of order, they will use the simpler solution

Question 27

gestalt switches

Answer 27

the experience of having a sudden switch in how you see something

Question 28

insight

Answer 28

a productive thinking process of forming new patterns or ways to view a problem

restructuring a problem in way that leads to a solution

Question 29

four features of insight

Answer 29

suddenness: solution pops into the mind with surprise

ease: the solution comes quickly and fluently

positiveL a pleasant experience, even before assessing if the solution is effective

confidence: the solution is believed to be the right one

Question 30

the triangle problem

Answer 30

example of an insight problem - needs to restructured to solve

triangle made of points given - how can you move three dots to turn turn triangle upside down

Question 31

impasse

Answer 31

mental impasse is being stuck in a solution path

leads to sudden insight from restructuring the problem to see a new solution

Question 32

impasse

Answer 32

mental impasse is being stuck in a solution path

leads to sudden insight from restructuring the problem to see a new solution

Question 33

subjective experience of insight

Answer 33

insight problem solving feels like it happens suddenly, hard to predict

study: gave people a problem and had them indicate how close they felt to solving the problem

for insight problems, people weren’t able to judge how close they were to solving the problem

Question 34

metacognitive assessments

Answer 34

what you know about what you know
- different for insight and non insight problems