Deck 9: Problem Solving

Question 1

The tendency to see a shoe as an object to be worn on the foot, with no other possible uses, is called

A)Einstellung
B)functional fixedness
C)undirected thinking
D)verification

Answer 1

functional fixedness

Question 2

The third stage of creativity occurs when a crucial insight is realized.Psychologists refer to this as

A)Einstellung
B)incubation
C)fixation
D)illumination

Answer 2

illumination

Question 3

A(n)_______ problem is characterized by a vague goal state and few, if any, rules of operation.

A)isomorphic
B)heuristic
C)functional
D)ill-defined

Answer 3

ill-defined

Question 4

The famous candle problem (attach a candle to a wall using a box, matches, candle, tacks, and other items)has been studied to demonstrate

A)algorithms
B)means-end analysis
C)functional fixedness

Question 5

The king can move one space in any direction.This defines a(n)_______ in the problem space of chess.

A)goal
B)means-end
C)operator
D)heuristic

Question 6

Which of the following is often equated with rational thinking?

A)directed thinking
B)productive thinking
C)heuristic thinking
D)lateral thinking

Question 7

You are using a(n)_______when you solve anagram problems by checking all possible letter combinations.

A)algorithm
B)heuristic
C)chunk
D)syllogism

Question 8

Which of the following is not a possible explanation for incubation effects?

A)The problem-solver continues to work on the problem unconsciously.
B)The problem-solver returns to the problem alert and rested.
C)The problem-solver escapes interference from retrieving wrong solutions.
D)The problem-solver avoids premise misinterpretation.

Question 9

The water-jug problems (fill jars to measure out a specific amount)has been studied to demonstrate

A)heuristics
B)hill climbing
C)brainstorming
D)problem-solving set

Question 10

The process of creativity ________ refers to putting the problem aside and doing other things.

A)preparation
B)incubation
C)illumination
D)verification

Question 11

We need to represent the initial state, the operators, the restrictions on the operators, and the ________ when we internally represent a problem.

A)features
B)prototype
C)goal
D)heuristic

Question 12

The process of creativity moves through four stages.The first stage is

A)illumination
B)incubation
C)preparation
D)verification

Question 13

Acts of genius that are widely acclaimed by society as having great merit are instances of

A)historical creativity
B)process creativity
C)unconscious problem solving
D)intervention by Muses

Question 14

The nine dot problem (connect all dots with no more than three straight lines)illustrates that people

A)often forget problem goals
B)often impose unnecessary constraints
C)often fail to impose sufficient constraints
D)often forget the givens of a problem

Question 15

Daydreaming is an example of

A)undirected thinking
B)reasoning
C)directed thinking
D)problem solving

Question 16

The term used by German psychologists to describe the tendency to approach similar
Problems in a routine fashion is

A)Selbst-beobachtung
B)Gestalt
C)Einstellung
D)Zeitung

Question 17

In creativity, incubation generally follows which stage?

A)preparation
B)illumination
C)verification
D)fixation

Question 18

In creative problem solving, the fourth and final stage is called

A)incubation
B)verification
C)insight
D)consolidation

Question 19

In chess, checkmate defines the _______ of the problem space.

A)initial state
B)operator
C)means-end
D)goal state

Question 20

A rule of thumb that may or may not lead to the solution of a problem is

A)heuristic
B)an algorithm
C)a coping strategy
D)a functional fixation

Question 21

Two problems are considered isomorphic when

A)they both require creative solutions
B)they both can be solved with means-end analysis
C)they both share a similar problem representation
D)they both require algorithms to solve

Question 22

Which of the following is a heuristic for problem solving?

A)means-end
B)working backwards
C)analogies
D)all of the above

Question 23

What could cause a flawed problem space?

A)if an operator is misunderstood
B)if there is no reproductive thinking
C)if there is a legally possible state that can be reached by applying the operator
D)if the initial state is too impossible to overcome

Question 24

What is one disadvantage of a heuristic approach to solving problems?

A)it may yield a wrong answer
B)it takes sufficient time and effort to solve the problem this way
C)it is too random
D)remembering heuristics takes up too much working memory

Question 25

_____________ is an example of undirected thinking.

A)following a recipe
B)driving a car
C)daydreaming
D)all of the above

Question 26

Which of the following is not a type of algorithm?

A)trial and error search
B)random search
C)serial exhaustive search
D)systematic search

Question 27

What is the key to solving problems?

A)studying first before attempting to solve the problem
B)a person should adopt a different mental representation of the problem
C)developing an equation first
D)giving up after about thirty attempts at solving the problem

Question 28

What type of thinking does the nine-dot problem call for?

A)reproductive thinking
B)productive thinking
C)tried-and-true thinking
D)logical arithmetic thinking

Question 29

Which of the following is the process of problem solving used for artificial intelligence
(AI)systems?

A)means-end analysis
B)working backward
C)using analogies
D)using algorithms

Question 30

Thinking is an overt process.

Question 31

A well-defined problem is characterized by

A)an initial state
B)a goal state
C)a set of operators
D)all of the above

Question 32

Productive thinking requires ________________.

A)new ideas
B)old ideas
C)past knowledge
D)all of the above

Question 33

__________ refers to a decision situation in which each state of nature is likely to occur with a known probability.

A)decision under certainty
B)decision under risk
C)decision under uncertainty
D)none of the above

Question 34

Suppose Joe realizes that before he changes his flat tire he must first jack up the car.Elevating the car would be a(n)

A)goal state
B)initial state
C)subgoal
D)heuristic

Question 35

The ability to solve novel problems is most closely related to

A)crystallized intelligence
B)emotional intelligence
C)fluid intelligence
D)expert intelligence

Question 36

___________ requires insight and creativity.

A)Productive thinking
B)Reproductive thinking
C)Directed thinking
D)Autistic thinking

Question 37

When students were given the nine-dot problem, what was the result when no hints were given?

A)20% of the subjects solved the problem
B)90% of the subjects solved the problem
C)about half of the subjects solved the problem
D)none solved the problem

Question 38

How do cats solve the problem of being confined?

A)productively think
B)reproductively think
C)develop creative ways to escape
D)gain the insight needed so it couldn't be confined again

Question 39

Bill is a college student who wants to enjoy some type of career dealing with computers.Instead of pursuing a mediocre job while attending college, he uses his skills and knowledge to assemble and sell computer parts from his dorm room.From this venture, Bill becomes a booming entrepreneur and computer giant.Instead of following the typical path by finishing college, he tried something different.This method of problem solving is called

A)productive thinking
B)reproductive thinking
C)undirected thinking
D)algorithmic thinking

Question 40

When Archimedes leapt from his bath and ran through the streets shouting "Eureka," he probably had just experienced a moment of

A)Gestalt
B)Einstellung
C)verification
D)insight

Question 41

Kohler's chimpanzees got to the banana by a trial and error process.

Question 42

Directed thinking is not particularly goal-oriented.

Question 43

Write a paragraph describing some type of process and label at least one initial state, goal state, subgoal, operator, and problem space.

Question 44

Working backward to solve a problem is viable when a goal state is ill defined.

Question 45

Describe the parts of a well-defined problem.Explain how this differs from an ill-defined problem.

Question 46

10-year-old children competing in a chess tournament performed worse on a digit-span test than adults who play little chess.

Question 47

Most humans are creative in a historical sense.

Question 48

Brainstorming is undirected thinking.

Question 49

Preparation is a stage of the process of creativity.

Question 50

Directed thinking is goal-oriented and rational.