LESSON 11: Problem Solving and Creativity

1. Problem Identification

2. Definition of Problem

3. Constructing a Strategy for Problem-Solving

4. Organizing Information About the Problem

5. Allocation of Resource

6. Monitoring Problem-Solving

7. Evaluating Problem-Solving

Parts of the problem solving cycle

Problem Identification

Recognizing that a problem exists and articulating it clearly.

Definition of Problem

Define the problem in detail, including its scope and context.

Constructing a Strategy for Problem-Solving

Develop a strategy or approach to solve the problem.

Organizing Information About the Problem

Collect and analyze relevant information to better understand the problem.

Allocation of Resources

Assign necessary resources (time, effort, tools) to implement the strategy.

Monitoring Problem-Solving

Regularly check the progress and adapt as needed.

Evaluating Problem-Solving

Assess the outcome to determine if the problem has been resolved.

Well-structured problems

These problems had clear paths, if not necessarily easy paths, to their solutions

Hobbits and Orcs problem

Finding a method of transporting all six creatures (3 orcs, 3 hobbits) across the river without the hobbits ever being outnumbered

Heuristics

These are mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making.

Means-Ends Analysis

Breaking down the problem into smaller steps by identifying the difference between the current state and the goal state.

Working Forward

Starting from the initial state and progressing systematically.

Working Backward

Visualizing the goal and reasoning in reverse to determine steps..

Generate and Test

Trying possible moves and testing their validity.

Algorithms

They offer systematic and repeatable solutions, ensuring the problem is solved in the minimum number of moves.

Isomorphic Problems

Problems with similar structures but different content

Ill-Structured Problems

Problems that lack clear parameters, objectives, or solutions

Gestalt perspective

It emphasizes understanding a problem as a whole rather than breaking it into parts.

Insight

It occurs when solvers move beyond existing associations to see the problem in a new way.

Productive Thinking

Thinking that involves creating new associations or solutions.

Reproductive Thinking

Thinking that relies on familiar or learned solutions.

Routine Problems

In these problems, progress is linear and predictable

Insight Problems

In these problems, solutions come suddenly, with no steady feeling of progress until the solution "clicks."

Right Anterior Temporal Gyrus

It shows activity during moments of insight, helping to connect unrelated ideas.

Mental Set

Tendency to approach problems in a way that worked in the past, even if it's not effective.

Entrenchment

Deeply ingrained habits or approaches that make it hard to consider alternatives.

Fixation

Getting stuck on specific details or ideas, ignoring other possibilities.

Transfer

It refers to applying knowledge or skills learned in one situation to a new situation.

Negative Transfer

When knowledge from a previous situation wrongly influences solving a new problem.

Positive Transfer

When knowledge from a previous situation helps solve a new problem.

Transfer of Analogies

Using similarities between two problems to apply solutions from one to the other.

Intentional Transfer

Deliberately applying what you've learned in one context to a new problem.

Incubation

It is defined as taking a break from a problem to process it subconsciously

Embodied cognition

It is the theory that the mind influences the body and the body influences the mind.

The two string theory

In this problem, subjects are shown two strings hanging from the ceiling and are instructed to tie the strings together. The strings are placed apart so that subjects are unable to grasp both strings simultaneously. The solution involves the use of items which are available in the vicinity of the strings.

Prefrontal cortex

Located in the front part of the brain, it is crucial for planning and decision making.

Tower of Hanoi

Puzzle that involves moving discs between pegs

Expertise

Reflects superior skills or achievement built on a well-organized and developed knowledge base.

Verbal Protocols

Talking or writing about problem-solving strategies enhances performance, especially for novices.

Trial-and-error methods

Novices often use __________, relying on means-ends analysis.

Well-established schemas

Experts use __________, which allow them to move directly from known information to solutions.

Automation

A process where experts practice until their tasks become automatic, reducing cognitive load on working memory.

Schematization and automatization

Two components of automation

Schematization

It involves developing organized knowledge structures.

Automatization

It involves consolidating steps into routines requiring minimal conscious effort.

Long-term working memory

Experts develop __________, enabling them to store large amounts of task-relevant information, which is retrievable with cues.

Creativity

It is the process of producing something that is both original and worthwhile.

Divergent Production

The generation of a diverse assortment of appropriate responses.

Alternative Integrative Theory of Creativity

It suggests that multiple individual and environmental factors must converge for creativity to occur.

Investment Theory of Creativity

The alternative integrative theory of creativity is also known as...

Buying low and selling high

There are two approaches to ideas according to the altermative integrative theory of creativity. These are...

Buying low

Approach where you find ideas that are undervalued or overlooked.

Selling high

When the idea is successful, they share it to the world, then move on to find more undervalued ideas.

- Personality and Motivation

- Evolutionary Thinking

Characteristics of Creative People

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Two types of Motivation

Intrinsic Motivation

It includes sheer enjoyment of the creative process or personal desire to solve a problem.

Extrinsic Motivation

It includes a desire to get something outside of yourself, like a reward or recognition.

Blind Variation

Creators first generate an idea without any certainty and then unknowingly create a good idea

Selective Retention

When some of the ideas are selected by the world, those ideas will survive and influence other ideas.

Brodmann's areas

They are involved in verbal working memory, task switching, and imagination.

Brodmann's area 39

It lights up more when people are doing harder tasks of creating stories.