Session #11 Flashcards
(44 cards)
What is Problem solving?
The term problem solving refers to the processes necessary to reach a goal, typically in situations where the solution is not immediately obvious. The solution may not be obvious for many reasons, although this situation tends to occur when you are missing important information and/or it is not clear how to reach the goal
What are the 3 components that all problems include?
(1) the initial state, (2) the goal state, and (3) the obstacles.
What is the Obstacle component?
The obstacles describe the restrictions that make it difficult to proceed from the initial state to the goal state.
How do effective problem solvers operate?
effective problem solvers typically plan their attack. They often break a problem into its component parts and devise a strategy for solving each part. In addition, people use certain strategies that are likely to produce a solution relatively quickly
What does Understanding mean in the context of problem-solving research?
In problem-solving research, the term 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-solving relies on cognitive activities such as ___, ___, and ___.
attention // memory // decision-making
What is Problem Representation?
Problem representation refers to the way you translate the elements of the problem into a different format. If you choose an appropriate representation, you are more likely to reach an effective solution to the problem.
What are the most effective methods of representing problems?
Some of the most effective methods of representing problems include symbols, matrices, diagrams, and visual images.
What are the major challenges presented to problem-solvers when using symbols?
Problem solvers often make mistakes when they try to translate words into symbols. One common error is that they reverse the roles of the two variables.
An additional error may occur when problem solvers try to translate sentences into symbols: They may oversimplify the sentence, so that they misrepresent the information
What is a Matrix?
You can solve some problems effectively by using a matrix, which is a grid consisting of rows and columns; it shows all possible combinations of items.
A matrix is an excellent way to keep track of items, particularly if the problem is ___ and if the relevant information is ___. The matrix method is especially suitable when the information is ___, rather than changing over time.
complex // categorical // stable
What are the benefits of using diagrams?
-Diagrams allow you to represent abstract information in a concrete fashion.
-They let you discard unnecessary details.
-Diagrams can be useful when you want to represent a large amount of information.
-Diagrams represent complicated information in a clear, concrete form. As a result, you have more “mental space” in your working memory for solving other parts of the problem
What is the situated cognition approach?
According to the situated cognition approach, we often use helpful information in our immediate environment to create spatial representations. For instance, we make decisions about the up–down dimension more quickly than decisions about the left–right dimension
What is the embodied cognition approach?
According to the embodied cognition approach, we often use our own body and our own motor actions, in order to express our abstract thoughts and knowledge. For example, suppose that you are trying to remember a word that is on the tip of your tongue, such as metronome. You are more likely to succeed if you are allowed to use gestures, such as waving your hand back and forth, using the same motion as a metronome.
What is the difference between the situated and embodied approach?
situated cognition emphasizes the external situation that surrounds you. In contrast, embodied cognition emphasizes your own body.
The situated cognition approach argues that our ability to solve a problem is tied into the specific ___ and ___ in which we learned to solve that problem. These theorists also argue that an abstract intelligence test often fails to reveal how competent a person would be in solving problems in real-life settings
physical // social context
The traditional cognitive approach to thinking emphasizes the processes that take place ___.
inside an individual person’s head
This ___ cognition perspective is consistent with the idea that psychologists should emphasize ecological validity if they want to accurately understand cognitive processes
situated
We are more likely to successfully solve everyday problems with ___ than ___.
heuristics // algorithms
What are the 3 most widely used heuristics?
analogy, the means-ends heuristic, and the hill-climbing heuristic
What is the analogy approach/heuristic?
When you use the analogy approach in problem solving, you employ a solution to a similar, earlier problem to help you solve a new problem.
What are problem isomorphs?
Researchers use the term problem isomorphs to refer to a set of problems that have the same underlying structures and solutions, but different specific details.
People who have limited problem-solving skills and limited metacognitive ability are especially likely to have difficulty using ___.
analogies
When are people more likely to successfully use the analogy strategy?
They are more likely to use the analogy strategy correctly when they try several structurally similar problems before they tackle the target problem. Furthermore, students solve statistics problems more accurately if they have been trained to sort problems into categories on the basis of structural similarities.
