PSYC1020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Knowledge Base
PSYC1020: Thinking – Problem Solving
• Defining thinking
➢ Operationally defined and studied in specific problem-solig tasks e.g. the hai
pole.
➢ To help get general theme of much of this research, recall: Gestalt Tradition (sort of
another psychology paradigm, more on this soon).
• Gestalt vs Behavioural Psychology: Learning Curves
➢ A gradual curve
➢ Positive correlation
➢ E.g., Thodikes at epeiet.
➢ Some learning curves are sudden > gradual, though!
➢ E.g. sudde leaig ue: Kohles himpanzees
❖ Bananas hanging too high on ceiling to reach
❖ Couldt li alls et. to aaas
❖ Boxes left in the room
❖ Chimpanzees gradually learned to stack boxes and climb to bananas
❖ But et da, he put i sae situatio, didt take sae tie to ork this
out
❖ Instead, chimpanzees stacked and climbed immediately
❖ Isight: aha! epeiee.
• Gestalt: configuration/pattern
➢ Ambiguous cartoons with various possible interpretations
• Sileias epeiet usig the hai pole
➢ First, everyone tries for half an hour, then:
❖ 2 groups:
❖ Control group: continued working
❖ Experimental group: took a break to do another task
➢ Then they all resumed the initial work on the chain problem
➢ Which group will solve it first?
➢ Iuatio
❖ Unconscious problem-solving
➢ So the group that took a break will solve the problem first!
• Gestalt Tradition
➢ Importance of perceptual representation and mental set
❖ E. Debonos lateal thikig eflets this.
➢ Importance of mental set: function fixedness (we see objects as only having one use).
• Cognitive/information processing paradigm
➢ Newell and Simon
➢ Poess-taig ethod
➢ General question they asked: what processes and strategies do people employ in solving
problems, and how can these be implemented in a computer?
➢ E.g. crypt-arithmetic problems
➢ Pole spae: iteal epesetatio of a pole, iludig iitial state…
➢ Process-tracing example: missionaries and cannibals problem. You have the task of
transporting three cannibals and three missionaries over to the other side of a river. You can
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Psyc1020: thinking problem solving: defining thinking p(cid:396)o(cid:271)le(cid:373)(cid:859)(cid:895). Operationally defined and studied in specific problem-sol(cid:448)i(cid:374)g tasks (cid:894)e. g. (cid:858)the (cid:272)hai(cid:374) To help get general theme of much of this research, recall: gestalt tradition (sort of another psychology paradigm, more on this soon): gestalt vs behavioural psychology: learning curves. Some learning curves are sudden > gradual, though! Bananas hanging too high on ceiling to reach. Chimpanzees gradually learned to stack boxes and climb to bananas. But (cid:374)e(cid:454)t da(cid:455), (cid:449)he(cid:374) put i(cid:374) sa(cid:373)e situatio(cid:374), did(cid:374)(cid:859)t take sa(cid:373)e ti(cid:373)e to (cid:449)ork this out. (cid:894)i(cid:374)sight: (cid:858)aha! (cid:859) e(cid:454)pe(cid:396)ie(cid:374)(cid:272)e(cid:895): gestalt: configuration/pattern. Ambiguous cartoons with various possible interpretations: sil(cid:448)ei(cid:396)a(cid:859)s e(cid:454)pe(cid:396)i(cid:373)e(cid:374)t usi(cid:374)g the (cid:272)hai(cid:374) p(cid:396)o(cid:271)le(cid:373) First, everyone tries for half an hour, then: Experimental group: took a break to do another task. Then they all resumed the initial work on the chain problem. Which group will solve it first? (cid:858)i(cid:374)(cid:272)u(cid:271)atio(cid:374)(cid:859) So the group that took a break will solve the problem first: gestalt tradition.
