Problem Solving and Creativity - Cognitive Psychology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Cognitive Psychology

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Problem Solving and

Creativity

Outline

1. The Problem-Solving Cycle

2. Types of Problems

1. Well-Structured Problems

2. Ill-Structured Problems and the Role of

Insight

3. Creativity

1. The Problem-Solving Cycle

3. Strategy formulation

• We have to plan a strategy for solving the

problem which may involve

• Analysis – breaking down the whole of a complex problem into manageable elements
• Synthesis – putting together various elements to arrange them into something useful
• Divergent thinking – you try to generate a diverse assortment of possible alternative solutions to a problem
• Convergent thinking – you narrow down the multiple possibilities to converge on a single, best answer

1. The Problem-Solving Cycle

4. Organization of Information

• You have to organize the available information in a way that enables you to implement the strategy
• You organize the information strategically, finding a the most suitable representation

5. Resource allocation

• We have limited resources (time, money, equipment, space,…)
• We have to decide how much we want to invest into the problem solving

1. The Problem-Solving Cycle

• Incubation

• Putting the problem aside for a while
• Problem will be processed subconsciously
• The benefits of incubation can be enhanced in

two ways:

• Invest enough time in the problem initially
• Allow sufficient time for incubation to permit the reorganization of information

2. Types of Problems

1. Well-Structured Problems

• Problems with clear paths to their

solutions

• Computer simulations of well-defined

problems

• Problem space
  • The universe of all possible actions that can be applied to solving a problem
• Algorithms
  • Sequences of operations that may be used recursively (repeated over and over again)

2. Types of Problems

1. Well-Structured Problems

• Heuristics

1. Means-ends analysis

• Analyze the problem by viewing the end (the goal to be sought) and then try to decrease the distance between the current position in the problem space and the end goal in that space

2. Working forward

• Start at the beginning and try to solve the problem from the start to the finish

2. Types of Problems

1. Well-Structured Problems

• Heuristics (cont.)

• Working backward
  • The problem-solver start at the end and tries to work backward from there
• Generate and test
  • The problem-solver generates a list of alternative ways of action, not necessarily in systematic way, and then notices in turn whether each course of action will work

2. Types of Problems

2. Ill-Structured Problems and the Role of

Insight

• There is no clear, readily available path to

solution

• ill-structured problems do not have well-

defined problem spaces, and problem

solvers have difficulty constructing

appropriate mental representations for

modeling these problems and their

solutions

Try to solve the following problems:

• A woman who lived in a small town married 20 different men in that same town. All of them are still living, and she never divorced any of them. Yet she broke no laws. How could she do this?
• You have loose black and brown socks in a drawer, mixed in a ratio of five black socks for every brown one. How many socks do you have to take out of that drawer to be assured of having a pair of the same color?

2. Types of Problems

2. Ill-Structured Problems and the Role of

Insight

• Insight

• The Early Gestaltist View
  • Insight problems require problem solvers to perceive the problem as a whole
• The Nothing-Special View
  • Insight is merely an extension of ordinary perceiving, recognizing, learning, and conceiving

2. Types of Problems

2. Ill-Structured Problems and the Role of

Insight

• Insight

• The Neo-Gestaltist View
  • Insightful problem solving can be distinguished from noninsightful problem solving in two ways: - When given routine problems to solve, problem solvers show remarkable accuracy in their ability to predict their own success in solving a problem - When given insight problems, problem solvers show poor ability to predict their own success prior to trying to solve the problems

3. Creativity

• It’s How Much You Produce

• Creative individuals can come up with many

different ways to solve problems

• It’s What You Know

• What distinguishes remarkably creative

individuals from less remarkable people is

their expertise and commitment to their

creative endeavor

3. Creativity

• It’s Who You Are

• Role of personality and motivation in creativity
• Intrinsic motivation (enjoyment of the creative

process) is essential to creativity, whereas

extrinsic motivation (fame, fortune) actually

may impede creativity

• It’s Where You Are

• External factors that contribute to creativity
• Context (time, space, resources) of creative

work