PSYC 2400H Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Functional Fixedness, Problem Solving, Cognitive Bias
20 Nov 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Well defined problems versus ill defined problems: well defined have a clear beginning and end, rules or guidelines, limits to behaviours that can be observed. What do psychologists study: problem solving has primarily focused on well-defined problems, one type of well-defined problems are insight problems. Insight problems usually require viewing the problem in a novel way, all of the information required to solve the problem is already there. Productive thinking: reflects a grasp of the general principles that apply to the situation at hand. Structurally blind thinking: the application of previously developed solutions without a consideration of the current situation. Blocks to problem solving: mental set, lack of experience. Mental set: we often adopt heuristics for understanding situations when we overgeneralize these heuristics, they become maladaptive. If you encounter a similar problem multiple times, you will quickly adopt a strategy that is successful. If you encounter a new situation for which this strategy does not work your.
