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Thinking and Problem Solving

Thinking and Problem Solving. What is thinking?. Thinking is the mental activity that is involved in the manipulation and understanding of information. Units of Thought: Concept : group of objects, events, or ideas that share similar characteristics Concept of “mom,” “dad,” “soccer game”

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Thinking and Problem Solving

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  1. Thinking and Problem Solving

  2. What is thinking? • Thinking is the mental activity that is involved in the manipulation and understanding of information. • Units of Thought: • Concept: group of objects, events, or ideas that share similar characteristics • Concept of “mom,” “dad,” “soccer game” • Prototype: an example of a concept that best exemplifies that concept (most typical example of our concepts) • Schemas: organized approach to answering questions or solving problems

  3. How do we Problem Solve? • Algorithm: when used properly right answer every time, sequence of events • Formulas • Light doesn’t work (what steps are logical to take?)

  4. How do we Problem Solve? • Heuristic: “Rules of thumb” – often, not always work like a mental shortcut • Faster than algorithms, but not as reliable • Representative Heuristic: Making decisions about a sample according to the population that the sample appears to represent • (judging based on how similar the aspects are to prototypes we have – ex: depressed teens and suicide rates) • Availability Heuristic: making decisions based on the information available • (judging based on examples of similar situations – ex: familiarity with neighborhoods)

  5. How do we Problem Solve? • Insight: A sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem: • Example : Kohler’s apes

  6. What are obstacles to Problem Solving? • Framing: the way in which the wording influences a decision • Leading Questions… • Fixation: the inability to see a problem from a fresh perspective – fixed on only one part of the problem • Functional Fixedness: the tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions (not creative, get stuck on literal interpretation)

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