Ch 11 problem solving and creativity pt 1

In problem solving, the term obstacles refers to

a. the situation at the beginning of problem solving.

b. the method by which people understand the problem.

c. restrictions that are encountered in problem solving.

d. the portion of a problem that you initially examine during problem solving.

c

Which of the following students provides the most accurate basic information about problem solving?

a. Damon: "Problem solving is a very sophisticated cognitive activity, which most adults do not use in their daily activities."

b. Nicholas: "Problem solving emphasizes the acquisition and storage of information, but it seldom focuses on the transformation of knowledge:

c. Gracie: "People are more likely to be creative if the problem includes several obstacles."

d. Tiffany: "In problem solving, you need to reach a goal, but the solution is not an obvious one."

d

According to your textbook, cognition is the acquisition, storage, transformation, and use of knowledge. Compared to more basic cognitive processes such as working memory, problem solving makes more use of which of those four processes?

a. Acquisition of knowledge

b. Storage of knowledge

c. Transformation of knowledge

d. Use of knowledge

c

Which of the following students provides the best definition for the term thinking?

a. Denise: "Thinking means that you go further than the material you were given, in order to reach a goal."

b. Wilfredo: "Thinking means that you use parallel processing in order to consider many unrelated things at the same time."

c. Lyssu: "Thinking requires you to use divided attention in order to contemplate all the obstacles relevant to the task."

d. Anne: "Thinking primarily emphasizes the acquisition and storage of knowledge."

a

According to the introduction to the chapter on problem solving,

a. the most useful problem-solving strategy is called the trial-and-error method.

b. people are likely to take a more passive approach when solving problems than when working on most other cognitive tasks.

c. people typically solve a problem by visualizing the goal state and ignoring the initial state.

d. people typically use problem-solving strategies that can produce a solution fairly quickly.

d

According to the introduction to the chapter on problem solving,

a. the process of problem solving is more passive than most other areas of cognitive activity.

b. most people typically emphasize bottom-up processing, rather than top-down processing.

c. when faced with a problem, most people become somewhat rigid and simply proceed with their first instinct.

d. people typically use strategies that are designed to produce a quick solution

d

Suppose you have just read over an algebra problem, and you have now created an internal representation of the important information. According to the discussion of problem solving, you have mastered the stage called

a. problem finding.

b. understanding.

c. heuristic choice.

d. background knowledge.

b

According to the introduction to the section on problem understanding,

a. understanding occurs when we have evolved an external representation for an internal problem.

b. a primary criterion for understanding is the ability to represent the problem in matrix form.

c. attention is necessary for problem solution, but it is not essential for problem understanding.

d. understanding requires a close correspondence between the situation you need to understand and your own internal representation.

d

Suppose that you are trying to solve the problem of assembling a new bookcase that you have just bought, using a sheet of instructions as a guide. According to the discussion of problem understanding,

a. you must use heuristics in order to understand a problem.

b. a problem will have a coherent representation, as long as you have used your background knowledge about your previous experiences with assembling items.

c. you need to mentally represent the problem, and this representation must be consistent with the assembly instructions.

d. the major component of this phase of problem solving is the decision to use symbols and visual images to represent the various steps that are illustrated in the assembly instructions.

c

Imagine that you are currently trying to solve a problem. Which of the following statements about attention would be relevant to your situation?

a. You may experience divided attention because of distracting ideas.

b. If it is a real-world problem, divided attention is not likely to present a problem.

c. If it is a real-world problem, the appropriate part of the problem—the part that requires attention—should be obvious.

d. Although attention is important in problem solving, good problem solvers and poor problem solvers do not differ in their ability to pay attention to specific inconsistencies.

a

Working memory is important when people are trying to solve an algebra "word problem" because

a. you need to keep the important parts of the problem in your mind while working on the problem.

b. these problems usually involve objects that have different shapes and sizes, so it's naturally a difficult task.

c. these problems do not use the phonological loop, so it's especially difficult to discover the solution.

d. people often miss the obvious solution, and they therefore have to try again.

a

Suppose that you have solved a problem by letting the letter x represent one unknown and by letting the letter y represent another unknown. Which problem-solving method have you used?

a. Symbols

b. Imagery

c. Matrix

d. Graph

a

An important potential problem with using symbols to represent a problem is that

a. people typically use at least twice as many symbols as they need.

b. people usually construct a hierarchical tree diagram, even though they intended to use symbols.

c. people insert the symbols into the wrong matrix.

d. people have trouble translating words into the appropriate symbols.

d

Suppose that you want to make a chart that lists the possible combinations that can be formed with four basic flavors of cake and three basic flavors of frosting. This chart would be called

a. a matrix.

b. a statistical interaction.

c. a visual image.

d. the symbol approach.

a

Suppose that you are in charge of the Psychology Club's annual picnic, and you need to fill each student's lunch container with a main course (beef, chicken, or vegan), as well as a dessert (lemon or chocolate). The most effective way to represent this information would be to create

a. a matrix.

b. a graph

c. symbols

d. a diagram

a

According to the research on the use of diagrams in problem solving,

a. diagrams are often helpful because they can convey information in a clear way.

b. a hierarchical tree diagram is a list of steps that must be followed in solving a problem.

c. the most effective way to use diagrams is to construct a matrix representing all possible combinations of options.

d. people seldom solve problems by using diagrams, because verbal representations are much more appealing.

a

According to the research on visual images and problem solving,

a. when people solve a problem using imagery, they rarely supplement an image with verbal material.

b. visual images are typically more rational than verbal methods of representing the problem.

c. visual imagery often prevents people from solving a problem creatively.

d. visual images often allow problem solvers to select nontraditional solutions for problems.

d

According to the discussion of visual imagery during problem solving,

a. visual images can be nontraditional, so they are sometimes more helpful than symbols and other methods of representing a problem.

b. surprisingly, people who are high in visual-imagery abilities are no more likely than other people to use imagery effectively during problem solving.

c. visual imagery is helpful only if problem solvers are initially instructed to visualize a familiar object.

d. a disadvantage to visual imagery is that it can only be used if you have a clear idea about the solution to the problem.

a

You would expect a matrix to be a useful problem solving representation when

a. the problem is very abstract.

b. the problem is relatively simple.

c. the information is stable, not changing over time.

d. you need to represent visual information.

c

Psychologists who support the situated-cognition approach to problem solving would be most likely to emphasize

a. that people often learn to solve a problem in a specific context, and then they cannot transfer it to other situations.

b. how people reach creative solutions, rather than obvious solutions.

c. that people can easily transfer their knowledge from one problem to another similar problem.

d. how people typically divide their attention among several competing components of the initial state.

a

Dwaine has just completed a high school course in algebra. However, when he needs to solve a problem that uses basic algebra, he finds that he does not know how to apply his knowledge. Cognitive psychologists would argue that Dwaine

a. is having trouble because of the situated-cognition issue.

b. should apply the matrix method, because it is especially useful for algebra problems.

c. is probably using an inappropriate algorithm.

d. should try parallel processing.

a

Which of the following students provides the best summary of the situated-cognition approach?

a. Pearlie: "People typically cannot solve a problem unless they picture themselves situated at the goal state."

b. Laurie: "Visual imagery is especially helpful because it encourages problem solvers to vividly picture themselves in the situation."

c. Vladimir: "Psychologists who study problem solving should emphasize how people can solve everyday problems in the real world, rather than in an artificial setting."

d. Samuel: "Psychologists can understand problem solving better if they try playing the role of a research participant who is faced with a representative problem."

c

Which of the following research topics would be most interesting to a psychologist who favors the situated-cognitive approach?

a. When working on a geometry problem, do people solve the problem more quickly if they are shown a diagram, in addition to the verbal form of the problem?

b. On a problem requiring a matrix solution, are people faster at solving problems if they have already tried several easier versions of the problem?

c. On a math problem requiring symbols, does the amount of irrelevant information influence the accuracy of the solution to the problem?

d. What kind of strategies do college students use when trying to solve the problem of getting a ride to their hometown for a vacation?

d

Which of the following research topics on problem solving would have the lowest ecological validity?

a. How people plan their route through a hardware store, so that they can locate the items as quickly as possible.

b. How diners in a restaurant figure out how to divide a bill fairly among themselves.

c. How parents of preschoolers plan a birthday party.

d. How students in a geometry class use information from previous problems to solve the current problem.

d

Which of the following research questions would have the highest ecological validity?

a. Does instruction in the use of a matrix decrease the amount of time needed to solve logic puzzles?

b. How do people determine how many rolls of wallpaper to use when planning to wallpaper a bedroom?

c. How does time pressure affect people's ability to solve algebra problems?

d. Does culture affect people's likelihood of solving the Buddhist Monk Problem successfully?

b

Why is the embodied cognition approach important when people are trying to solve certain kinds of problems?

a. If they examine their immediate environment, the answer is often obvious.

b. This approach often produces a strong visual image.

c. The problem solver is less likely to use analogies.

d. Your gestures often encourage you to express abstract thoughts and terms.

d

Your friend Jerome has lost his contact lens in his room. He begins searching in one corner and methodically moves from right to left and then back from left to right, examining every square inch. What strategy is he using?

a. Exhaustive search

b. Parallel processing

c. Heuristic search

d. Functional fixedness

a