Deck 12: Problem Solving

Question 1

In problem solving, when people cannot think of any but the customary uses for objects and tools, it illustrates:

A) Functional fixedness
B) Conditional reasoning
C) Syllogistic reasoning
D) Means-end analysis

Answer 1

Functional fixedness

Question 2

A deep, useful understanding of the nature of something, especially a difficult problem:

A) Algorithmic solutions
B) Analogical reasoning
C) Insight
D) Clarification of the goal state

Answer 2

Insight

Question 3

Metcalfe & Weibe (1986, 1987) studied how people solve problems. Their most important finding was:

A) Implicit memory can be spared despite poor explicit memory
B) People have good insight into their ability to solve routine, but not insight, problems
C) People have good insight into their ability to solve insight problems
D) People are good at solving insight problems, unless reasoning by analogy is required

Answer 3

People have good insight into their ability to solve routine, but not insight, problems

Question 4

Which of the following is a constraint of multiconstraint theory (Holyoak & Thagard, 1997)?

A) The dissimilarity of the source and target domains
B) Sequential structure of the problems
C) The similarity of the purpose or goal of the problems
D) Our procedural operators required to institute the solutions

Question 5

Neuropsychological research supports which of the following claims:

A) Right frontal involvement in solving problems by analogy
B) Right parietal involvement in solving problems by analogy
C) Right hemisphere involvement in solving insight problems involving semantic memory
D) A hypothalamic pathway used for solving insight problems involving semantic memory

Question 6

Which is TRUE of Gestalt psychology?

A) Early Gestalt psychologists studied problem solving
B) The "whole" perspective makes it easier to accept their research at face value.
C) The effectiveness of the reductionist approach inherent in Gestalt problem-solving research could not be relied upon to produce valuable insights.
D) The definition of "goal" as the desired end-point or solution of the problem-solving activity is problematic.

Question 7

Which of the following are central characteristics of problem solving?

A) Means-end analysis
B) The problem space
C) Cognitive operations
D) Insight

Question 8

Of the problems discussed in the textbook, which does illustrates negative set?

A) Hobbits & orcs problem
B) Missionaries & cannibals problem
C) Water jug problem
D) Tower of Hanoi

Question 9

Which is true of production statements and/or production system models?

A) Productions are either condition-action or if-then relations
B) If a productions conditions are satisfied, the production action might still not take place
C) PDQ was the first production systems model in psychology
D) Production system models are only used in psychological modeling

Question 10

ACT* (and ACT-R) has three major components. They include:

A) Procedural memory
B) Semantic memory
C) Declarative memory
D) Application memory

Question 11

Which of the following does the textbook describe as the most important component of Anderson's ACT architecture?

A) Production memory
B) The structure of the problem
C) Declarative memory
D) A legal move or operation that can occur during the solution of a problem

Question 12

Production memory is most related to:

A) Declarative memory
B) Episodic memory
C) Procedural knowledge
D) Semantic knowledge

Question 13

Which of the following is true?

A) Declarative memory is implicit.
B) Episodic memory is implicit.
C) The rules that you follow to form syntactic sentences are explicit.
D) Verbalizing the meanings of the words you know is explicit.

Question 14

Which is true?

A) ACT* implementations in classroom educational settings have not been overly successful, but have provided excellent illustrations of the complexity of human problem-solving behavior.
B) The best-known heuristic for problem solving is the availability heuristic.
C) GPS implementation has shown the importance of means-end analysis.
D) Increasing domain knowledge will often facilitate problem-solving behavior.

Question 15

Which should help improve problem solving?

A) Increase domain knowledge
B) Follow a very flexible plan
C) Always work forwards
D) Avoid Inferences

Question 16

Which is true of increasing domain knowledge?

A) A person with only limited knowledge of a topic is very able to solve problems efficiently in that domain.
B) Chess masters need to really study a chess board for a long time to remember where all the (legally located) pieces are.
C) Extensive domain knowledge leads to the development of expertise.
D) Developing inferences will allow us to break a large problem into separate subgoals.

Question 17

Which of the following is true?

A) Satisficing hinders the ability to find a solution to a goal or subgoal.
B) An initially "satisfactory" solution to a problem often turns out to be unhelpful.
C) Deficiencies in what was thought to be satisfactory achievement of a subgoal may be illustrated as work progresses on attaining the next subgoal.
D) "Rough drafts" in the context of satisficing are restricted to establishing "production rules" for production models.

Question 18

In the 15 pennies problem:

A) You should work backwards
B) You should work forwards
C) You should draw a diagram
D) You should search for contradictions

Question 19

Which is true of practice?

A) People rarely believe that stunning talent and amazing accomplishment derive from inherited, genetic or "interior" explanations.
B) Dedicated, regular, long-term practice leads to low levels of skilled performance.
C) Practice within a particular domain strengthens that knowledge, pushes problem-solving components closer to automaticity, and gives you a deeper understanding of the domain.
D) It will yield special-purpose heuristics that combat mundane stereotyped knowledge through the development of stronger declarative memory production systems.

Question 20

Consider the following:
Three men want to cross a river, they find a boat, but it is a very small boat. It will only carry 200 pounds. The men are named Large (200 lbs), Medium (120 lbs), and Small (80 lbs). How can they all get across? They might have to make several trips in the boat (VanLehn, 1989).

A) Two trips
B) Three trips
C) Five trips
D) Can only be done if people search for contradictions)

Question 21

In Anderson's ACT model, knowing how to do something requires:

A) Procedural knowledge
B) A well-defined problem
C) Semantic knowledge
D) A means-end analysis

Question 22

The Tower of Hanoi is an example of ________.

A) An insight problem
B) An ill-defined problem
C) A well-defined problem
D) Functional fixedness

Question 23

In children, insights:

A) Rarely occur
B) Are unconscious at first and become conscious later
C) Are always consciously thought out
D) Are conscious at first, but then are forgotten

Question 24

A relationship between two similar situations, problems, or concepts:

A) General problem solver
B) Means-end analysis
C) Well-defined problems
D) Analogy

Question 25

A sudden deep understanding of the nature of a difficult problem:

A) Problem space
B) Insight
C) Subgoal
D) General problem solver

Question 26

A person who has only limited knowledge of a topic has:

A) Poor domain knowledge
B) Poor procedural knowledge
C) Poor working memory
D) Poor insight

Question 27

Which of the following will help improve problem solving?

A) Use the availability heuristic
B) Use a negative set
C) Search for contradictions
D) Use the representational heuristic

Question 28

Which of the following is most likely to free working memory so it can be used for higher-level subgoals?

A) Automate some components of the problem-solving solution
B) Use analogies
C) Follow a systematic plan
D) Work backwards

Question 29

Considering how a current problem resembles one you've already solved involves:

A) Finding a different problem representation
B) Searching for relations among problems
C) Drawing inferences
D) Searching for contradictions

Question 30

Operators are people who facilitate problem solving.

Question 31

An important distinction between verbal knowledge and procedural knowledge involves verbalization.

Question 32

Multiconstraint theory deals with the concept of problem space.

Question 33

Computer-based mathematics tutors have been developed using ACT*, but they have generally failed to produce adequate results because of the rigidity of the ACT* implementation system.

Question 34

The part of Anderson's ACT model that deals with knowledge of how to do something (e.g., ride a bike) is called ________.

Question 35

In problem solving, a ________ is an intermediate goal that must be achieved to reach a final goal.

Question 36

The ________ theory predicts how people use analogies in problem solving and what factors govern the analogies people construct.

Question 37

Using appropriate technical terms, through what mechanism might practice help you to improve your problem solving (that is, WHY is practice useful)?

Question 38

Describe and discuss the two main difficulties in problem solving that are outlined in the textbook. Use some examples from the textbook to strengthen your discussion.

Question 39

Can "getting an A in this course" be considered a well-defined problem from the perspective of a "problem space"? Why or why not? Provide a brief explanation to support your view. Note that it's your supporting explanation that is important here.

Question 40

How do means-end and working backwards differ?