PSY 654 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Functional Fixedness, Problem Solving, Backtracking
14 Dec 2015
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Document Summary
Ill defined problems: these problems don"t have a single answer or a clear path to getting the answer. Well defined problem: have one correct answer. There"s an agreement in the steps taken to get the answer. A problem occurs when there"s obstacle between present state and goal. Insight problems: not immediately obvious how to get around obstacle, don"t involve massive calculations or formulas, onces the problem is restructured the solution becomes clear. Ex: circle problem: there"s a leap of warmth when the answer suddenly occurs, release from functional fixedness. We can fixate on problem elements in repetitive ways. Solutions to problems often arise when we think of new functions for objects. Have to think about objects as other properties to solve the problem: situationally produced mental set. We get used to solving problems in certain ways this leads to difficulties in resolving problems that don"t fit our mental set.
