InQuizitive: CH 13 (Problem Solving and Creativity)

A problem solver's beliefs, habits, and preferred strategies are referred to as _____. The starting assumptions that a person uses when trying to solve a new problem are referred to as the solver's _____.

Einstellung problem-solving set

Identify the problems that are "insight problems."

INSIGHT graphic of the nine-dot problem graphic of the two-string problem A stranger approached a museum curator and offered him an ancient bronze coin. The coin had an authentic appearance and was marked with the date 544 B.C. The curator had happily made acquisitions from suspicious sources before, but this time he promptly called the police and had the stranger arrested. Why? graphic of the nine-dot problem NONINSIGHT graphic of the water jar problem A landscape gardener is given instructions to plant four special trees so that each one is exactly the same distance from each of the others. How should the trees be arranged?

_____ refers to the ability to move one's thoughts in novel, unanticipated directions. _____ refers to the ability to find ways in which seemingly distinct ideas might be interconnected.

divergent thinking convergent thinking

Revise these statements comparing creative people and less creative people to correct any errors. If the statements are correct, select the "No Errors" button. Relative to less creative people, highly creative people: have relatively LESS working memory capacity. tend to generate MORE ideas. are skilled in convergent OR divergent thinking. are usually MORE willing to take risks. are BETTER at searching their memories for ideas.

have relatively GREATER working memory capacity. are skilled in convergent AND divergent thinking.

Match each heuristic to its definition.

means-end analysis: A strategy in which the person is guided by a step-by-step comparison of the current state and the goal state. The problem-solver will ask, "What means do I have to make these states more alike?" hill-climbing strategy: If people use this strategy, they will choose the option that carries them closer to their goal whenever their problem-solving efforts give them a choice.

Which of these graphs correctly illustrates participant performance on the candle problem?

purple bar (box presented full of tasks): closer to 50 orange bar (box presented alongside the tasks): closer to 100

Map the components of the "general and fortress" story onto the tumor problem. (Go here to read the tumor problem and the "general and fortress" story.) Note that not all items will have a match.

the doctor: the general intensity of the rays: number of soldiers healthy tissue: neighboring villages direction of the rays: roads with mines tumor: fortress rays: soldiers

Select the incorrect assumptions participants tend to make when solving this nine-dot problem, thus preventing them from reaching a solution.

the lines must begin and end on dots each line should cancel out a full row or columns of dots

Dr. Ana Logue is studying potential ways to make analogy use more likely. She has participants read the "general and fortress" story before trying to solve the tumor problem. (Go here to read the tumor problem and the "general and fortress" story.) Across her participants, she attempts to induce a "relational mindset" at different stages of the task. Which group of her participants is most likely to solve the tumor problem?

those who had a relational mindset induced while reading the fortress story

For which of these problems do participants typically demonstrate functional fixedness?

CORRECT the candle problem the two-string problem INCORRECT the nine-dot problem the tumor problem the water jar problem

Which of these elements need to be clearly or exactly stated for a problem to be well-defined?

CORRECT the goal steps you can take steps you cannot take INCORRECT the problem-solving set subgoals

Participants often experience functional fixedness while trying to solve this two-string problem. The trick here is not to think of the pliers in terms of their usual function—squeezing or pulling. Instead, the trick is to think of them as a weight. Which of these actions could a researcher take during the experiment to reduce the likelihood that the participant experiences functional fixedness?

CORRECT use the pliers for an unusual purpose, like hammering in a loose nail on the table direct a gentle fan toward one of the strings to make it swing slightly INCORRECT placing the pliers on a wall shelf use the pliers to bend a piece of wire remind the participant of the constraints of the problem

Which of these individuals are overcoming functional fixedness?

CORRECT Ellen just moved and can't find her corkscrew in any of the moving boxes. To open a bottle of wine, she instead uses a bike pump, pumping air into the bottle until the cork dislodges. Alvin is trying to move a very heavy bookcase, but it won't budge. He slides a metal cookie sheet underneath it and now he can move it across the carpet easily! INCORRECT Melody can't reach something on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet, so she gets the stepladder from the garage. Christian needs to straighten a small plant in his garden, so he buys a wooden stick from the local gardening shop. It doesn't occur to him to just use one of the many pencils that he has at home.

Dr. Castle has given his participants the tumor problem to solve. He has also given them the "general and fortress" story to read, but he has not told them that it is relevant to the tumor problem. Which of these participants will likely use the analogy anyway and solve the tumor problem? (Go here to read the tumor problem and the "general and fortress" story.

CORRECT Hans searches his memory for things he knows about converging forces. Beatrice focused on the relationship between the soldiers and the fortress in the story. She realizes the relationship is the same between the rays and the tumor. INCORRECT Kimmy suspects that the "general and fortress" story is relevant; she maps the soldiers from the fortress story onto the tumor. Kyler searches his memory for things he knows about tumors while trying to solve the problem.

When confronted with an ill-defined problem, what can you do to make it more solvable?

CORRECT add assumptions create well-defined subgoals INCORRECT reduce the number of constraints increase the number of operations available

Which of these are characteristics of problem-solving sets?

CORRECT blind you to useless strategies blind you to useful strategies narrow your search through the problem space INCORRECT few assumptions distract you with unlikely solutions

Kennan has just started his engineering homework and has come across a particularly difficult problem. After 10 minutes, he is still stuck. Based on the discussion of incubation in your textbook, which of these tactics could you reasonably recommend?

CORRECT go do something else keep trying stop trying and daydream for a bit take a nap, then try again INCORRECT think about the things he's tried so far

Identify these problem-solving behaviors as more characteristic of experts, more characteristic of novices, or equally characteristic.

NOVICES categorize new problems based on surface features EQUALLY use problem-solving heuristics EXPERTS frequently use analogies categorize new problems based on deep features set subgoals

Identify each statement about ill-defined and well-defined problems as true or false.

TRUE An ill-defined problem can become well-defined. The constraints or assumptions with which one defines a problem may be incorrect. FALSE If a problem is ill-defined, it cannot be solved. Well-defined problems only have one solution. If a problem is well-defined, it is easy to reach the solution.

Which of these statements about individual differences in problem solving are true?

TRUE Experts are more likely than novices to think about a problem's deep structure. People who are better problem solvers are more likely to use analogies. FALSE Most people can retrieve relevant analogies when needed. Experts are better able to solve problems as a whole without breaking them into smaller problems. People differ greatly in their tendency to use hill climbing versus means-end analysis.