Cognitive Psychology: Problem Solving

Flashcards for Cognitive Psychology Lecture 4: Problem Solving

Problem Solving

The process of finding solutions to difficult or complex issues.

Start State

Your current situation in a problem.

Goal State

The desired situation in a problem.

Well-defined Problems

Problems where all aspects, including the initial state, goal state, and possible moves, are clearly defined.

Ill-defined Problems

Problems where the start state, end state, or possible strategies are unknown.

Knowledge Rich Problems

Problems that require specific knowledge to solve.

Knowledge Lean Problems

Problems that do not require specific knowledge, often puzzles.

Behaviourist Approach

Problem-solving approach using trial and error learning.

Gestalt Approach

Problem-solving approach involving insight and restructuring problems.

Insight

A sudden realization of a problem's solution.

Functional Fixedness

The inability to see an object being used for something other than what it was designed for.

Representational Change Theory

A theory that explains insight by restructuring the problem representation.

Information Processing Approach

Problem-solving approach focusing on well-defined problems and using computational modeling.

Problem Space

All possible states of a problem.

Initial State

The starting position in a problem space.

Goal State

The final position in a problem space.

Operators

Allowed moves or actions in a problem space.

Heuristics

General purpose strategies to simplify problem-solving.

Hill-Climbing

A heuristic where you choose a move that brings you closer to the goal.

Means-end Analysis

A heuristic that involves creating a sub-goal and choosing moves to reach it.

Analogical Problem-Solving

Learning from past problems to solve current ones.

Surface Features

The literal objects and attributes that make up the problem.

Structural Features

The underlying relationships among the objects in the problem.

Expertise

Focus on problems that depend on extensive knowledge and learning.