Exam 3 Review

What is a problem

A situation in which there is an obstacle between a present state and a goal state and it is not immediately obvious how to get around the obstacle

Restructuring with example

Process of changing the problems representation

Ex: A ball went over the fence but the fence is too tall, therefore you walk around the fence instead

Insight

Sudden realization of a problem’s solution

What are insight problems with example

Problems in which the answer appears suddenly

Ex: The triangle problem, moving three dots to get the triangle to point down

What are noninsight problems with example

Problems that involves a methodical process, also known as analytically based problems

Ex: Solving algebra problems

How can we use “warmth” judgements to study insight problems

And, how do they change over time for different types of problems

When studying insight and noninsight problems, asking participants to make “warmth” judgements can differentiate between what’s an insight or noninsight problem

Over time, insight problems generally rapidly shift from a low warmth rating to a high warmth rating (3 - 7), unlike noninsight problems which shift gradually as participant reaches answer

Functional Fixedness

Ex. of low and high functional fixedness

An effect that occurs when the ideas a person has about an object’s function inhibit the person’s ability to use the object for a different function

Ex:

Low: String

High: Dime

Candle Problem and how it relates to functional fixedness

When a person is given a number of objects and is given the task of mounting a candle on a wall so it can burn without dripping wax on the floor

Relates to functional fixedness because the problem was used to study it, and since the objects can be used for different function

Describe Dunker’s candle problem: Results and what it tells us about problem solving and functional fixedness

There were two groups, one group were given small carboard boxes containing candles, tacks, and matches inside. While the other group received the same material but outside the boxes.

Results: The group that were given the material inside the cardboard boxes had a more difficult time than the other group

This is an example of functional fixedness because the participants seeing the boxes used as containers inhibited them from using it for another purpose. Also, tells us how the problems representation can impact the difficulty in problem solving

Describe Maier’s two-string problem study. What were the results?
What does this study tell us about problem-solving and functional
fixedness?

A problem in which a person is given the task of attaching two strings, but they are too far apart to be reached at the same time. Objects available for solving the problem were a chair and a pair of pliers

Results: 37 out of the 60 participants did not solve the problem, but when given a hint by brushing against the string and moving it, 23 of the 37 solved the problem

The study tells us that a solution occurs once the participants restructure their representation of the problem by swinging the strings and change their representation of the function of the pliers once they used them as weights

Mental set

A preconceived notion about how to approach a problem based on a person’s experience

Tower of Hanoi problem and why we use it to study problem solving

A problem involving moving discs from one set of pegs to another

It has been used to show the process involved in means-end analysis