problem solving and creativity

gestalt approach to problem solving

what ideas did wallas (1926) offer about problem solving? (representation, insight, incubation)

luchins (1942) - water jar problem; how prior knowledge might hinder problem solving

mental set

how did wiley (1998) investigate what might contribute to mental set? methods - which used a variant of the remote associates task

how did bilalic et al. (2008) demonstrate the potential limitations of having high knowledge in a given area when solving problems?

summarize the study by maier (1931) - two string problem - how the study demonstrated the concept of functional fixedness

what is a problem solving transfer?

gick and holyoak (1980) - explain what it means to solve by analogy - what did ths study reveal about participants’ ability to spontaneously transfer the solution from one problem to an analogous problem?

what are the requirements for problem solving transfer, as outlined by novic holyoak (1991)? what did perfetto et al. (1983) suggest was needed to aid participants’ transfer? what are the two major causes of poor transfer?

compare and contrast the problem solving abilities of experts and novices, highlighting strength and weakness

what does it mean to say that expertise is domain specific? - give example

summarize the study by chase and simon (1973) that compared experrt and novice chess players. what did they find and how did they explain their findings?

how did chi et al. (1982) and silver (1981) demonstrate how experts and novice organize knowledge differently?

what did novick (1988) show regarding how experts and novices engage in problem solving transfer? (solving by analogy)

what did ericsson and charness (1994) conclude in their literature review on expertise?

what does the research on the characteristics of experts suggest about the nature of expertise?

summarize the views of creativity from cognitive psych

what are the characteristics of creative individuals? (i.e., motivation, personality, etc)

how have psychologists attempted to measure creativity? use the divergent productions test and remote associates test as two examples. why are these measures low in validity?

what does the research on creativity suggest about how we can become more creative individuals?