Deck 9: Development of Problem Solving Skills

Question 1

There is no evidence that taking time away from a difficult problem can help you find a good solution.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

If you cannot solve a problem in a few minutes, then it is unlikely that you will be able to solve it if you keep working on it.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A good general plan for solving problems is to state the goal in several different ways.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Drawing a diagram is a good problem solving aid, but only for problems that are very difficult.

Question 5

The problems that most people encounter in the "real-world" are less clearly defined than most of the problems that are encountered in school.

Question 6

A forward-looking sTrueraTrueegy is usually preferable Trueo working backwards from Truehe goal.

Question 7

Conflict problems are especially amenable to strategies that require each side to assume the perspective of the other side.

Question 8

The culture in which we grew up can have important influences on the way we define and solve problems.

Question 9

A mechanized approach to problem solving is always bad because it does not encourage the consideration of problems in novel ways.

Question 10

Expertise can be judged most accurately by the amount of experience a person has at a certain task.

Question 11

Once you have decided on an alternative, it is best not to review your decision because research has shown that the first choice most people make is usually the best.

Question 12

It is usually not possible to determine if the best decision was made.

Question 13

If we develop the habit of writing lists of alternatives on paper, then we don't have to be concerned about the possibility that memory is biasing the decision making process.

Question 14

When people are highly confident about their ability to make sound decisions, their self-confidence is usually warranted.

Question 15

We tend to judge information that is easy to recall as more frequent in occurrence than information that is difficult to recall.

Question 16

When picking 6 lottery numbers, 12, 7, 4, 31, 6, 28 is more likely to win (if the lottery is fair) than 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Question 17

When you are deciding about continuing a project in which you have already invested time and money, the amount of time and money that you have previously invested should be the primary consideration.

Question 18

The fact that you are familiar with something or someone will influence your decision so that the alternative or person is evaluated more favorably than a less familiar alternative or person.

Question 19

There is a considerable body of evidence that shows that people make better decisions when they use a worksheet procedure.

Question 20

A decision should always be judged by the quality of its outcome.

Question 21

A period in problem solving when the problem solver is not actively working on the problem is called

A) time-out.
B) a problem break.
C) incubation.
D) insight.

Question 22

__________ are states where there is a gap or barrier between where the person is and where she or he wants to be.

A) Problems
B) Well-defined tasks
C) Skills
D) Goal states

Question 23

Which of the following best represents stages of problem-solving?

A) Preparation, production, judgment/evaluation, selection
B) Production, preparation, judgment/evaluation, selection
C) Evaluation, production, preparation, selection
D) Selection, preparation, judgment/evaluation, production
E) None of the above

Question 24

Which of the following best represents stages of problem-solving?

A) Evaluation, production, preparation, selection
B) Production, preparation, judgment/evaluation, selection
C) Evaluation, preparation, production, selection
D) Selection, preparation, judgment/evaluation, production
E) None of the above

Question 25

The first stage in problem solving is called the __________ stage.

A) judgment
B) production
C) awareness
D) preparation

Question 26

The anatomical parts of a problem include all of the following EXCEPT

A) initial states.
B) problem guides.
C) goal states.
D) solution paths.
E) All of the above are parts of a problem

Question 27

The anatomical parts of a problem include all of the following EXCEPT

A) initial states.
B) problem space.
C) goal states.
D) solution paths.
E) All of the above are parts of a problem

Question 28

Methods or means for solving problems are called __________, and they make up the __________.

A) initial states…..problem space
B) generative paths…..evaluation space
C) goal states…..evaluation zones
D) solution paths…..problem space
E) None of the above

Question 29

The possible solution paths from the initial to the goal state make up the __________.

A) initial states.
B) problem space.
C) goal states.
D) evaluation zones.

Question 30

During the __________ stage of problem solving, the problem solver generates alternative solution paths.

A) judgment
B) awareness
C) preparation
D) production

Question 31

David has decided to "sleep on it," meaning he will wait until morning to choose a solution to his current employment problems. David is using

A) judgment.
B) awareness.
C) incubation.
D) production.

Question 32

Using the example above, describe the stages in problem solving and how they may influence Jennifer's decision making.

Question 33

Describe five different problem-solving strategies, including examples

Question 34

Describe the four different types of analogies used in problem solving, including examples.

Question 35

Describe the four problems associated with problem solving, including examples.

Question 36

Heidi's boss always thinks about financial costs when solving problems in her department. Heidi's boss is responding with a

A) worldview constraint.
B) rule.
C) mental set.
D) functional fixedness.
E) All of the above

Question 37

Predispositions to think and respond in a certain way when solving problems are called

A) worldview constraints.
B) rules.
C) mental sets.
D) functional fixedness.

Question 38

Amber is trying to help her local school raise money for the school library. She posts the issues on Facebook, hoping that some of her friends and colleagues will help her come up with ideas. Amber is using

A) crowdsourcing.
B) group think.
C) group intelligence.
D) perspective-taking.
E) All of the above

Question 39

Problems with a single correct answer are called __________, while problems with many possible correct answers are called __________.

A) easy…..difficult
B) simplified…..generalized
C) well-defined…..ill-defined
D) short…..long

Question 40

The problem-solving strategy that is best suited for ill-defined problems is called

A) restating the problem.
B) means-end analysis.
C) generalization.
D) mechanization.

Question 41

The problem-solving strategy in which operations are used to reduce the distance between the problem solver's current state and the nearest possible subgoal or goal is called

A) means-end analysis.
B) mechanization.
C) generalization.
D) working backward.
E) None of the above

Question 42

The problem-solving strategy in which operations are planned that move from the goal to the present or initial state is called

A) means-end analysis.
B) simplification.
C) generalization.
D) working backward.
E) None of the above

Question 43

Gaby received a delicious cake from her neighbor, who will not share the recipe. Gaby decides to eat a piece of the cake and carefully write down everything she tastes, in the hopes she will be able to discover the recipe. Gaby is using

A) means-end analysis.
B) mechanization.
C) generalization.
D) working backward.
E) None of the above

Question 44

The problem-solving strategy in which the problem is considered as an example of a larger class of problems is called

A) restating the problem.
B) rerouting.
C) generalization.
D) mechanization.

Question 45

The problem-solving strategy in which the problem is considered as a special case drawn from a larger set of problems.

A) specialization.
B) means-end analysis.
C) generalization.
D) mechanization.

Question 46

Continually selecting a point that is halfway between the present state and the goal as a systematic means for "guessing" at the solution is called

A) specialization.
B) the split-half method.
C) generalization.
D) breaking set.
E) None of the above

Question 47

The __________ problem-solving strategy is usually contrasted with the __________ strategy.

A) robotics…..trial-and-error
B) space definition…..random search
C) random search…..trial-and-error
D) robotics…..specialization

Question 48

A problem-solving strategy in which all solution paths from initial to goal states are systematically searched is called

A) the split-half method.
B) trial-and-error.
C) systematic path analysis.
D) means-end analysis.

Question 49

The principles that underlie some problems are called

A) hints.
B) guidelines.
C) rules.
D) problem guides.
E) None of the above

Question 50

Roger is applying to graduate schools. The applications are complicated and it takes a lot of work to complete them. As he is finishing them up, he hears from his friend Sue that there are example personal statements available online. Roger decides to re-write his statement. Sue's information can be described as a/an

A) initial states.
B) hint.
C) goal state.
D) rule.

Question 51

The main goal of brainstorming is

A) producing a large number of possible solutions.
B) generating multiple initial states.
C) generating problem rules.
D) increasing the diversity of perspectives.
E) All of the above

Question 52

Liz needs to choose an office space. Liz needs the space to be small (because she can't afford the larger spaces), but she needs to have lots of storage space at the same time. Liz's dilemma is an example of a problem

A) space.
B) conundrum.
C) contradiction.
D) perspective-taking.

Question 53

Sue is a B student who is applying to college. State College is affordable; she is on a tight budget and will work part-time. State College is close to her parents' house and she can easily find a job. Ivy College is far away and expensive; scholarships are unlikely. She would have to live on-campus at Suburbia University, which has midrange costs. Ivy is prestigious; Suburbia has great faculty. Define the anatomical parts of Sue's problem; which choice is best?