PROBLEM SOLVING Today's agenda What is a problem and what are dif f erent ways to describe problems? Well-def i ned and ill-def i ned problems. What are strategies used to solve new problems? Problem space. When do we use experience and knowledge to solve problems? Analogies and expertise. Def i nitions Problem solving is the multi-step process to shift your current (problem) state to a goal state. It's considered a higher order cognitive function. (~ a bridge between problem and goal states). A Problem is the when a goal has not been reached. E.g. Math problems; real world scenarios. Problems can be def i ned as a function of how the goal is described. . Well-def i ned problems: Problems with a def i ned goal (What) and set constraints (how) to meet that goal. There is a clear path to move from the problem to solution. Eg. Bowling; Sudoku. Features of a well-def i ned problem: . Goal directedness: the processes engaged are to achieve a pre-set goal. - > Leads to economy of cog resources (you already know what the goal is). . Sequential operations: the processes engaged are done in a sequence of steps. . Many cognitive operations: Distinct cognitive processes are used for these distinct steps (memory, attention, etc.). . Subgoal decomposition: there are intermediate goals to achieve a solution or a nested structure. . Ill-def i ned problems: Situations that have no clear path or way to move from the problem to the goal state. There are few task constraints, or few limitations for how to solve the problem. E.g. Problems in social relations/context (f i guring out why your friends is mad, or which courses to take next semester. - > Ambiguous. Even the goal itself can be fuzzy -> Harder to represent in our minds. Well-Def i ned vs Ill-def i ned problem solving Well-def i ned problems have more task constraints than ill-def i ned problems. Experiment. People solved anagrams under two experimental conditions in a MRI scanner. (1) Well-def i ned (constraints): can you make a type of music with ZJAZ? (2) Ill-def i ned (no constraints): can you make a word with ZJAZ? The study found greater activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex for ill-def i ned anagrams compared to well-def i ned anagrams. Conclusion: Solving ill-def i ned problems carry a greater 'cognitive load'. What is cognitive load? Cognitive load is the amount of information that your working memory system can hold at one time. Working memory capacity is limited! - > The lack of schemas to reduce working memory capacity means that ill-def i ned problems have an increased cognitive load demand. Why? Bc/ in ill-def i ned problems you have to 'create' task rules and keep then in mind, for they are not given. Methods to solve new analytic problems Problem spaces are used to study the role of problem-solving steps to solve well-def i ned problems. How? Researchers measure/map the potential steps people would