Problem Solving Quiz 12

Which problem provides an example of how functional fixedness can hinder solution of a problem? Tower of Hanoi problem The radiation problem Two-string problem Mutilated checkerboard problem

Two-string problem

Which of the following provides the best example of functional fixedness? Using a tire as a swing seat and as a football practice target Using a pair of pliers as a paperweight Using a juice glass as a container for orange juice

Using a juice glass as a container for orange juice

The ability to shift experience from one problem solving situation to a similar problem is known as in vivo problem solving. analogical transfer. analogical encoding. insight.

analogical transfer.

The text's discussion of the research on in vivo problem solving highlighted that ____ play(s) an important role in solving scientific problems. analogies flexibility insight subgoals

analogies

The radiation problem was used in your text to illustrate the role of ____ in problem solving. mental set functional fixedness means-end analysis analogy

analogy

Which of the following statements does NOT apply to the results of research on differences between how experts and novices solve problems? Experts often spend more time analyzing problems than novices. Experts often organize problems differently than novices, based on principles. Experts possess more knowledge about their fields than novices. Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field.

Being an expert in one field can transfer to better problem solving in another field.

When the process of analogical problem solving was applied to the fortress and radiation problems, which of the following represented the mapping step of this process? Developing schemas for each individual problem Likening the dangerous mines to the dangerous tumor Generalizing from groups of soldiers to using many rays to solve the problem Connecting the fortress with the tumor

Connecting the fortress with the tumor

Holly was in her mother-in-law's kitchen preparing lunch for the family. When she was ready to dish up the soup, she searched all the cupboards and drawers for a ladle but couldn't find one. She decided to wait until her mother-in-law returned to ask her where the ladle was, leaving the soup in the stove pot. Her mother-in-law later explained that the ladle had been broken, so she told Holly to use a coffee mug to "spoon" the soup into bowls. Holly's ability to solve the "dish up the soup" problem was hindered by which of the following obstacles? Perseveration Divergent thinking Discriminability Functional fixedness

Functional fixedness

____ identified people's tendency to focus on a specific characteristic of a problem that keeps them from arriving at a solution as a major obstacle to successful problem solving. Psychophysicists Information processing psychologists The analogical problem solving approach Gestalt psychologists

Gestalt psychologists

Which of the following is not part of a complete definition of a problem? Is difficult Involves obstacles between one's current state and a desired goal The solution is not obvious Has one correct answer

Has one correct answer

Which of the following is not true about divergent thinking? It is the cornerstone of creativity It is open-ended. It has a single correct answer. It has a large number of potential solutions.

It has a single correct answer.

Gick and Holyoak consider which of the following to be the most difficult step to achieve in the process of analogical problem solving? Applying the mapping to generate a parallel solution because of the difficulty in generalizing from one problem to another Mapping corresponding parts between the problems because the elements are difficult to identify Solving the problem through reorganization because past experience can make it more difficult to reorganize a problem Noticing that there is an analogous relationship between problems because most participants need prompting before they notice a connection

Noticing that there is an analogous relationship between problems because most participants need prompting before they notice a connection

The analogy that makes the solution to the mutilated checkerboard problem obvious is the ____ problem. radiation Russian marriage Tower of Hanoi light bulb

Russian marriage

In the movie Apollo 13, astronauts aboard a damaged spacecraft have to build a carbon dioxide filter out of random items that are aboard the ship with them. If they do not, they will all die rapidly of carbon dioxide poisoning. The fact that they are able to do so with the help of experts on Earth is similar to the _______ approach developed by Ronald Finke. divergent thinking convergent thinking the means-end analysis creative cognition

creative cognition

Holyoak and Koh presented different versions of the light bulb problem to assist in solving the radiation problem. They found the ____ version to be more effective, because it had ____ features in common with the radiation problem. insufficient-intensity; surface fragile-glass; structural fragile-glass; surface insufficient-intensity; structural

fragile-glass; structural

Experts categorize problems based on general principles that problems share. event-specific knowledge. surface and deep structures. how similar the objects in the problem are.

general principles

A researcher records a brainstorming session in an industrial research and development department rather than in an artificial laboratory setting. Later, she analyzes the recorded discussions, identifying certain problem-solving techniques. This research is an example of ____ research. environmental functional fixedness in vivo problem-solving think-aloud protocol situationally-produced mental set

in vivo problem-solving

In the Tower of Hanoi problem, the ________ state involves having three discs stacked on the left peg, with the middle and right pegs empty. initial goal transitory intermediate

initial

Newell and Simon called the conditions at the beginning of the problem the goal state. intermediate state. source story. initial state.

initial state

Your textbook suggests that a trait that appears to be common to both mental illness and creativity is ________. low capacity for divergent thinking latent inhibition high levels of neuroticism low pressure tolerance

latent inhibition

Finke's creating an object studies show that people were more likely to come up with creative uses for preinventive objects if they had been preselected as "creative" individuals. were told they were expected to be creative. made the objects themselves. had received training in creative thinking.

made the objects themselves.

The solution to the candle problem involves realizing that the match box can be used as a container for tacks. match box can be used as a shelf. candle can be cut in half. candle can be oriented horizontally or diagonally.

match box can be used as a shelf.

Amber lives in a housing development between two parallel streets that both connect to a freeway. She usually takes the street to the south when heading southbound on the freeway to work, but that street is closed for repairs for three months. Amber takes the street to the north during that time. After the street to the south is re-opened, she continues to take the street to the north, even though it is a slightly longer route. Continuing to take the street to the north represents a single dissociation. a mental set. a source problem. convergent thinking.

mental set

Functional fixedness would be LOWEST for a(n) novel object. frequently used object. object with a specific function. familiar object.

novel object.

The elements of the problem space include all of the following EXCEPT intermediate states. initial state. operators. goal state.

operators.

Gestalt psychologists consider problem solving as a process involving multiple goal states. continuity and form. sensory operators. reorganization or restructuring.

reorganization or restructuring.

The circle problem, in which the task is to determine the length of a line inside a circle, was proposed to illustrate representation and restructuring. the problem space. how analogies can be used to solve problems. means-end analysis.

representation and restructuring.

Warmth judgments on nearness to a solution ____ prior to the solution of an insight problem and ____ prior to the solution of a non-insight problem. vary unpredictably; vary unpredictably rise suddenly just; gradually rise gradually rise; gradually rise gradually rise; rise suddenly just

rise suddenly just; gradually rise

Newell and Simon were early pioneers in designing computer programs that could solve problems. Their research program was based on the idea that problem solving is a process that involves parity. search. insight. algorithms.

search.

The water-jug problem demonstrates that one consequence of having a procedure that does provide a solution to a problem is that, if well-learned, it may prevent us from seeing more efficient solutions to the problem. discriminating between well- and ill-defined problems. being able to solve other problems at all. understanding why the procedure works successfully.

seeing more efficient solutions to the problem.

Considering the fortress and the radiation problems together, the fortress problem represents the _____ problem. target prototype exemplar source

source

People are most successful at noticing an analogous relationship between problems if they focus on structural features. surface features. mental sets. operators.

structural

Gentner and Goldinmeadow (2003) illustrated that analogical encoding causes problem solvers to pay attention to ____ features that ____ their ability to solve other problems. surface; enhance surface; diminish structural; enhance structural; diminish

structural; enhance

The fortress problem involves a fortress and marching soldiers, while the radiation problem involves a tumor and rays. Therefore, the two problems have very different operators. structural features. surface features. mental sets

surface

Experts _____ than novices. are better at reasoning in general spend less time analyzing problems are more likely to be open to new ways of looking at problems take a more effective approach to organizing the solution to a problem

take a more effective approach to organizing the solution to a problem

In analogical problem solving, the ________ problem is the problem that an individual is trying to solve, and the ________ problem, which has been solved in the past, is used as a guide for reaching that solution. . source; target prototype; target exemplar; source target; source

target; source

Illustrative of functional fixedness, people are more likely to solve the candle problem if fewer tacks are provided. the box is empty. the candle is already lit. pliers are also presented.

the box is empty.

Insight refers to the tendency to respond in a certain manner, based on past experience. prior learning hindering problem solving. the sudden realization of a problem's solution. prior learning facilitating problem solving.

the sudden realization of a problem's solution.

Kaplan and Simon's experiment presented different versions of the mutilated checkerboard problem. The main purpose of their experiment was to demonstrate that a person's mental set can hinder finding a solution to a problem. people often have to backtrack within the problem space to arrive at an answer to a problem. people arrive at the solution to an insight problem suddenly, but proceed more methodically towards the solution of a non-insight problem. the way the problem is represented can influence the ease of problem solving.

the way the problem is represented can influence the ease of problem solving.