Deck 11: Problem Solving and Creativity

Question 1

According to your textbook,cognition is the acquisition,storage,transformation,and use of knowledge.Compared to more basic cognitive processes such as working memory,problem solving makes more use of which of those four processes?

A)Acquisition of knowledge
B)Storage of knowledge
C)Transformation of knowledge
D)Use of knowledge

Answer 1

C

Question 2

11-15.Suppose that you are in charge of the Psychology Club's annual picnic,and you need to fill each student's lunch container with a main course (beef,chicken,or vegan),as well as a dessert (lemon or chocolate).The most effective way to represent this information would be to create

A)a matrix.
B)a graph
C)symbols
D)a diagram

Answer 2

A

Question 3

In problem solving,the term obstacles refers to

A)the situation at the beginning of problem solving.
B)the method by which people understand the problem.
C)restrictions that are encountered in problem solving.
D)the portion of a problem that you initially examine during problem solving.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to the introduction to the section on problem understanding,

A)understanding occurs when we have evolved an external representation for an internal problem.
B)a primary criterion for understanding is the ability to represent the problem in matrix form.
C)attention is necessary for problem solution,but it is not essential for problem understanding.
D)understanding requires a close correspondence between the situation you need to understand and your own internal representation.

Question 5

Which of the following students provides the most accurate basic information about problem solving?

A)Damon: "Problem solving is a very sophisticated cognitive activity,which most adults do not use in their daily activities."
B)Nicholas: "Problem solving emphasizes the acquisition and storage of information,but it seldom focuses on the transformation of knowledge:
C)Gracie: "People are more likely to be creative if the problem includes several obstacles."
D)Tiffany: "In problem solving,you need to reach a goal,but the solution is not an obvious one."

Question 6

11-14.Suppose that you want to make a chart that lists the possible combinations that can be formed with four basic flavors of cake and three basic flavors of frosting.This chart would be called

A)a matrix.
B)a statistical interaction.
C)a visual image.
D)the symbol approach.

Question 7

11-10.Imagine that you are currently trying to solve a problem.Which of the following statements about attention would be relevant to your situation?

A)You may experience divided attention because of distracting ideas.
B)If it is a real-world problem,divided attention is not likely to present a problem.
C)If it is a real-world problem,the appropriate part of the problem-the part that requires attention-should be obvious.
D)Although attention is important in problem solving,good problem solvers and poor problem solvers do not differ in their ability to pay attention to specific inconsistencies.

Question 8

Suppose you have just read over an algebra problem,and you have now created an internal representation of the important information.According to the discussion of problem solving,you have mastered the stage called

A)problem finding.
B)understanding.
C)heuristic choice.
D)background knowledge.

Question 9

11-12.Suppose that you have solved a problem by letting the letter x represent one unknown and by letting the letter y represent another unknown.Which problem-solving method have you used?

A)Symbols
B)Imagery
C)Matrix
D)Graph

Question 10

Suppose that you are trying to solve the problem of assembling a new bookcase that you have just bought,using a sheet of instructions as a guide.According to the discussion of problem understanding,

A)you must use heuristics in order to understand a problem.
B)a problem will have a coherent representation,as long as you have used your background knowledge about your previous experiences with assembling items.
C)you need to mentally represent the problem,and this representation must be consistent with the assembly instructions.
D)the major component of this phase of problem solving is the decision to use symbols and visual images to represent the various steps that are illustrated in the assembly instructions.

Question 11

11-20.Psychologists who support the situated-cognition approach to problem solving would be most likely to emphasize

A)that people often learn to solve a problem in a specific context,and then they cannot transfer it to other situations.
B)how people reach creative solutions,rather than obvious solutions.
C)that people can easily transfer their knowledge from one problem to another similar problem.
D)how people typically divide their attention among several competing components of the initial state.

Question 12

11-16.According to the research on the use of diagrams in problem solving,

A)diagrams are often helpful because they can convey information in a clear way.
B)a hierarchical tree diagram is a list of steps that must be followed in solving a problem.
C)the most effective way to use diagrams is to construct a matrix representing all possible combinations of options.
D)people seldom solve problems by using diagrams,because verbal representations are much more appealing.

Question 13

11-19.You would expect a matrix to be a useful problem solving representation when

A)the problem is very abstract.
B)the problem is relatively simple.
C)the information is stable,not changing over time.
D)you need to represent visual information.

Question 14

According to the introduction to the chapter on problem solving,

A)the process of problem solving is more passive than most other areas of cognitive activity.
B)most people typically emphasize bottom-up processing,rather than top-down processing.
C)when faced with a problem,most people become somewhat rigid and simply proceed with their first instinct.
D)people typically use strategies that are designed to produce a quick solution.

Question 15

11-11.Working memory is important when people are trying to solve an algebra "word problem" because

A)you need to keep the important parts of the problem in your mind while working on the problem.
B)these problems usually involve objects that have different shapes and sizes,so it's naturally a difficult task.
C)these problems do not use the phonological loop,so it's especially difficult to discover the solution.
D)people often miss the obvious solution,and they therefore have to try again.

Question 16

11-17.According to the research on visual images and problem solving,

A)when people solve a problem using imagery,they rarely supplement an image with verbal material.
B)visual images are typically more rational than verbal methods of representing the problem.
C)visual imagery often prevents people from solving a problem creatively.
D)visual images often allow problem solvers to select nontraditional solutions for problems.

Question 17

According to the introduction to the chapter on problem solving,

A)the most useful problem-solving strategy is called the trial-and-error method.
B)people are likely to take a more passive approach when solving problems than when working on most other cognitive tasks.
C)people typically solve a problem by visualizing the goal state and ignoring the initial state.
D)people typically use problem-solving strategies that can produce a solution fairly quickly.

Question 18

11-13.An important potential problem with using symbols to represent a problem is that

A)people typically use at least twice as many symbols as they need.
B)people usually construct a hierarchical tree diagram,even though they intended to use symbols.
C)people insert the symbols into the wrong matrix.
D)people have trouble translating words into the appropriate symbols.

Question 19

11-18.According to the discussion of visual imagery during problem solving,

A)visual images can be nontraditional,so they are sometimes more helpful than symbols and other methods of representing a problem.
B)surprisingly,people who are high in visual-imagery abilities are no more likely than other people to use imagery effectively during problem solving.
C)visual imagery is helpful only if problem solvers are initially instructed to visualize a familiar object.
D)a disadvantage to visual imagery is that it can only be used if you have a clear idea about the solution to the problem.

Question 20

Which of the following students provides the best definition for the term thinking?

A)Denise: "Thinking means that you go further than the material you were given,in order to reach a goal."
B)Wilfredo: "Thinking means that you use parallel processing in order to consider many unrelated things at the same time."
C)Lyssu: "Thinking requires you to use divided attention in order to contemplate all the obstacles relevant to the task."
D)Anne: "Thinking primarily emphasizes the acquisition and storage of knowledge."

Question 21

11-28.In problem solving,a method that always produces a problem solution (though not necessarily very efficiently)is known as

A)an algorithm.
B)a heuristic.
C)a matrix.
D)the hill-climbing heuristic.

Question 22

11-37.People are especially likely to use analogies effectively in problem solving

A)when they are well trained in means-ends analysis.
B)when they have been trained to pay attention to structural similarities.
C)when they are working on an ill-defined problem.
D)when they are trying to solve a problem that is unrelated to other problems they have recently solved.

Question 23

11-38.Suppose that several high school algebra teachers are trying to encourage their students to use analogies more appropriately when they try to solve word problems.The teachers should instruct students

A)to make an educated guess about the answer before trying to solve it.
B)to make a matrix that shows the surface similarities between a current problem and a previous problem.
C)to sort a number of problems into categories,based on structural similarities.
D)to use the hill-climbing heuristic.

Question 24

11-32.Research on problem isomorphs has demonstrated that

A)in general,novices are better than experts in identifying problem isomorphs.
B)problem solving often requires peeling away the superficial features of a problem,in order to discover problem isomorphs.
C)most problem solvers can easily detect problem isomorphs.
D)unsituated learning produces a greater number of correct solutions than does situated learning.

Question 25

11-39.In a means-ends analysis,

A)the matrix approach is most useful.
B)we disregard some aspects of the problem in order to make the problem simpler.
C)we solve a problem by emphasizing embodied cognition.
D)we divide the problem into a number of subproblems.

Question 26

11-25.Which of the following research questions would have the highest ecological validity?

A)Does instruction in the use of a matrix decrease the amount of time needed to solve logic puzzles?
B)How do people determine how many rolls of wallpaper to use when planning to wallpaper a bedroom?
C)How does time pressure affect people's ability to solve algebra problems?
D)Does culture affect people's likelihood of solving the Buddhist Monk Problem successfully?

Question 27

11-30.In problem solving,heuristics

A)are relatively unsophisticated strategies.
B)are bound to produce a solution,if you apply them rigorously.
C)are strategies that examine only some of the alternatives.
D)are seldom as useful as algorithms.

Question 28

11-29.Jane is given an anagram to solve: DFROJ In attempting to solve the anagram,Jane takes out a sheet of paper and methodically begins to write down every possible combination of these five letters: DFRJO,DFJOR,DFJRO,DFORJ,and so forth Jane's strategy would be described as

A)a heuristic.
B)means-end analysis.
C)an algorithm.
D)working backwards.

Question 29

11-23.Which of the following research topics would be most interesting to a psychologist who favors the situated-cognitive approach?

A)When working on a geometry problem,do people solve the problem more quickly if they are shown a diagram,in addition to the verbal form of the problem?
B)On a problem requiring a matrix solution,are people faster at solving problems if they have already tried several easier versions of the problem?
C)On a math problem requiring symbols,does the amount of irrelevant information influence the accuracy of the solution to the problem?
D)What kind of strategies do college students use when trying to solve the problem of getting a ride to their hometown for a vacation?

Question 30

11-33.A major problem with using the analogy approach to problem solving is that

A)people pay too little attention to structural features.
B)people pay too little attention to surface features.
C)people select an inappropriate matrix to represent their understanding of the problem.
D)people perform an exhaustive search,which is a time-consuming approach to problem solving.

Question 31

11-35.When people try to solve problems,which feature of the problem should they emphasize the most?

A)Structural features
B)Surface features
C)Schematic features
D)Algorithms

Question 32

11-26.Why is the embodied cognition approach important when people are trying to solve certain kinds of problems?

A)If they examine their immediate environment,the answer is often obvious.
B)This approach often produces a strong visual image.
C)The problem solver is less likely to use analogies.
D)Your gestures often encourage you to express abstract thoughts and terms.

Question 33

11-34.In order to understand a problem,you need to understand the underlying meaning.This basic core of a problem is called its

A)mental set.
B)goal state.
C)surface features.
D)structural features.

Question 34

11-27.Your friend Jerome has lost his contact lens in his room.He begins searching in one corner and methodically moves from right to left and then back from left to right,examining every square inch.What strategy is he using?

A)Exhaustive search
B)Parallel processing
C)Heuristic search
D)Functional fixedness

Question 35

11-36.Which of the following circumstances is most likely to encourage the successful use of analogies in problem solving?

A)Requiring people to use a mental set
B)Having people study the source problem very carefully,rather than simply trying to solve it
C)Having people try to solve several problems that are structurally similar,before they see the target problem
D)Encouraging people to compare at least two problems that have different structural features

Question 36

11-22.Which of the following students provides the best summary of the situated-cognition approach?

A)Pearlie: "People typically cannot solve a problem unless they picture themselves situated at the goal state."
B)Laurie: "Visual imagery is especially helpful because it encourages problem solvers to vividly picture themselves in the situation."
C)Vladimir: "Psychologists who study problem solving should emphasize how people can solve everyday problems in the real world,rather than in an artificial setting."
D)Samuel: "Psychologists can understand problem solving better if they try playing the role of a research participant who is faced with a representative problem."

Question 37

11-31.If you solve a problem by using the solution strategy from an earlier problem,which of the following problem-solving strategies are you using?

A)The General Problem Solver
B)Means-ends analysis
C)Analogy
D)Backward search

Question 38

11-40.Suppose that you have an assignment to write a review of the literature on a topic in cognitive psychology.If you used means-ends analysis,you would begin by

A)breaking the problem into parts (e.g.,select a topic,locate resources,etc.)and then solve each part.
B)creating a matrix consisting of possible problems and possible solutions.
C)searching systematically through all possible alternatives (e.g.,all possible topics on perception,all possible topics on memory,etc.)until you have found a solution.
D)trying to think of occasions on which you faced a similar problem (e.g.,writing a paper in a child development course)and use that information to help you solve the present problem.

Question 39

11-21.Dwaine has just completed a high school course in algebra.However,when he needs to solve a problem that uses basic algebra,he finds that he does not know how to apply his knowledge.Cognitive psychologists would argue that Dwaine

A)is having trouble because of the situated-cognition issue.
B)should apply the matrix method,because it is especially useful for algebra problems.
C)is probably using an inappropriate algorithm.
D)should try parallel processing.

Question 40

11-24.Which of the following research topics on problem solving would have the lowest ecological validity?

A)How people plan their route through a hardware store,so that they can locate the items as quickly as possible.
B)How diners in a restaurant figure out how to divide a bill fairly among themselves.
C)How parents of preschoolers plan a birthday party.
D)How students in a geometry class use information from previous problems to solve the current problem.

Question 41

11-49.Anita wants a high-paying career after college.After graduation,she must choose between a job with a moderate salary but a good chance for advancement,and a job with a much higher salary but less chance for long-term advancement.If Anita chooses the higher salary now,she is probably using the heuristic known as

A)mean-end analysis.
B)working backwords.
C)hill-climbing.
D)computer simulation.

Question 42

11-52.According to the discussion of problem-solving expertise in Chapter 11,

A)expertise is typically defined in terms of problem-solving speed,rather than problem-solving accuracy.
B)in some fields,expertise is not strongly correlated with the number of years of experience.
C)true experts can acquire their expertise without extensive practice because they truly seem to be "born" with their skills.
D)experts tend to have an especially well-developed working memory for general information,not just in their area of expertise.

Question 43

11-48.A major problem with the hill-climbing heuristic is that

A)people choose the most direct route at every choice point,even though an indirect route may be better in the long run.
B)people are inefficient in dividing the problem into the appropriate subproblems.
C)people typically show functional fixedness.
D)people are too likely to move backwards,rather than forwards.

Question 44

11-44.In computer simulation,the computer is programmed

A)to perform a task the same way that a human would.
B)to perform a task that matches the minimum performance of a human problem solver.
C)to use algorithms,but not heuristics.
D)to solve a problem as efficiently as possible.

Question 45

11-59.According to the research on mental sets,

A)mental set is an overreliance on bottom-up processing.
B)mental set is especially helpful when you are trying to solve a problem creatively.
C)people may produce inferior problem solutions if they are shown examples of possible solutions before they try to solve the problem.
D)mental sets neither help nor hinder problem solving.

Question 46

11-60.Suppose that you belong to an organization in which an average of only 8 out of 12 people attend meetings on a regular basis.Which of the following ideas best illustrates the way of overcoming a mental set when solving this problem of low attendance?

A)Try to think of all the previous techniques the group has used,and vote to decide which technique to use this time.
B)Encourage everyone to try to figure out a new way to solve the problem,avoiding the solutions that the group members had previously tried.
C)Emphasize the importance of functional fixedness when trying to solve the problem.
D)Use the hill-climbing heuristic to make sure that the group members choose the most direct route,each time they make a decision.

Question 47

11-56.Chapter 11 compared how-on some tasks-experts and novices use parallel processing.According to this discussion,

A)novices use parallel processing more than experts do.
B)experts use parallel processing more than novices do.
C)when researchers have controlled for the kind of problem that is being solved,experts and novices make similar use of parallel processing.
D)both experts and novices make too much use of parallel processing.

Question 48

11-50.Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about expertise during problem solving?

A)Lisa: "Experts are better at estimating how long it would take nonexperts to solve a problem."
B)Pernelle: "Experts are more likely to use a mental set."
C)Jack: "Experts are more likely to use their top-down processing effectively."
D)Sabino: "Experts are more likely to use serial processing."

Question 49

11-43.When people are solving a problem such as the Elves and Goblins problem in your textbook,they generally avoid

A)using bottom-up processing.
B)dividing a problem into subproblems.
C)increasing the difference between the current state and the goal state.
D)using the means-ends approach to solve the problem.

Question 50

11-53.In which of the following areas are expert problem-solvers and novice problem-solvers likely to be most similar?

A)General memory skills
B)Memory for concepts that are relevant to the problem
C)Schemas that are relevant to the problem
D)The representation of the problem

Question 51

11-57.Suppose that you have always prepared a casserole in a certain fashion.Then you buy a food processor.It would be most efficient to prepare the ingredients in a new order,but you follow your old,familiar order.The strategy that you are using is

A)the hill-climbing heuristic.
B)a mental set.
C)parallel processing.
D)divergent production.

Question 52

11-41.Suppose that you belong to an organization that plans to sponsor a speaker for next semester.At the planning meeting,the group members begin by dividing the project into four components: choosing the speaker,making arrangements for the speaker's travel,fundraising,and publicity.This arrangement is closest to the problem-solving strategy called

A)the situated cognition approach.
B)the hill climbing heuristic.
C)the means-ends heuristic.
D)the analogy approach.

Question 53

11-46.Which of the following is the best example of the hill-climbing heuristic?

A)You try to figure out what courses you'll take next semester by obtaining an overview of the initial state; this perspective is similar to the overview from the top of a hill.
B)You want to become a social worker,so at each choice point,you choose the option that appears to lead most directly toward your goal.
C)You divide the problem into an orderly series of "hills," each of which must be surmounted before you move forward.
D)You realize that you must sometimes move backwards (returning to a previous "hill"),in order to move forwards to a solution.

Question 54

11-58.Suppose that you learned to make peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches by spreading peanut butter on one piece of bread,jelly on the other,and then placing the two pieces together.You are now making sandwiches for a crowd,and you use this same strategy.However,it would be more efficient to first spread peanut butter on half the pieces,and then spread jelly on the other half.Your inefficient problem solving illustrates the concept called

A)parallel processing.
B)insight.
C)mental set.
D)problem isomorphs.

Question 55

11-45.The computer simulation called General Problem Solver

A)solves problems in the most efficient fashion possible.
B)solves problems using the analogy method.
C)solves problems using means-ends analysis.
D)alternates between forward searches and backward searches in problem solving.

Question 56

11-42.Research on means-ends analysis in problem solving has shown that

A)people tend to move through the various states in problem solving at a fairly steady rate.
B)most people realize that they often must move temporarily away from the goal in order to reach the correct problem solution.
C)most people are reluctant to move temporarily away from the goal in order to reach the correct problem solution.
D)the means-ends approach is roughly equivalent to the analogy approach.

Question 57

11-55.According to the research on expertise and problem solving,

A)expert chess-players are much better than novices at remembering random arrangements of chess pieces.
B)expert problem-solvers are more likely than novices to emphasize structural features in the representation of a problem.
C)experts and novices are similar in their usage of means-ends heuristics.
D)experts are skilled at judging whether a problem will be difficult for novices to solve.

Question 58

11-47.According to the discussion of problem-solving approaches,the hill-climbing heuristic

A)can only be used when you represent the problem in terms of visual imagery.
B)is one of the most sophisticated problem-solving heuristics.
C)is often used if you do not have information on how to reach your goal,so you select the best option at each choice point.
D)is especially helpful when a problem requires you to move backwards in order to eventually move forwards.

Question 59

11-54.Anatoly has been playing chess since early childhood,and is described as an expert player.His cousin Viktor has only recently begun to play the game,and describes himself as a novice.We would expect Anatoly to outperform Viktor on tests of his memory for

A)general knowledge and trivia.
B)random configurations of chess pieces on a board.
C)chess positions from actual chess games.
D)knowledge about the history of chess.

Question 60

11-51.Which of the following students provides the best summary of the relationship between expertise and top-down/bottom-up processing?

A)Carrie: "Expert problem solvers tend to emphasize top-down processing because this framework provides the best overview of the problem."
B)María Elena: "Expert problem solvers use their knowledge (top-down processing),but they also attend to the unique features of the problem (bottom-up processing)."
C)Raoul: "The basic problem is that experts consistently overuse bottom-up processing,and they ignore top-down processing."
D)Herbie: "Experts make too much use of bottom-up processing; novices make too much use of top-down processing."

Question 61

11-79.According to the discussion of creativity,

A)various measures of creativity are highly correlated with one another.
B)divergent production involves finding the one way in which many different items are related to one another.
C)creative solutions must be novel and useful.
D)psychologists agree upon a definition of creativity,but not on a way to measure it.

Question 62

11-80.Divergent production

A)is one kind of means-end strategy.
B)involves making a number of different responses to a variety of test items.
C)is the most valid measure of creativity.
D)tends to be highly correlated with other measures of creativity.

Question 63

11-73.Which of the following students provides the best explanation for stereotype threat during problem solving?

A)Alper: "Stereotype threat can usually be traced to overactive bottom-up processing."
B)Kristi: "Stereotype threat is basically caused by a growth mindset."
C)Kevin: "Stereotype threat typically occurs because people use parallel processing,rather problem-solving heuristics."
D)Nita: "Stereotype threat seems to cause a reduction in working memory,due to factors such as high arousal."

Question 64

11-67.Suppose your friend Ellen has lost the back to her earring.She looks around her room,picks up a pencil,removes the eraser,and uses the eraser as a substitute for the missing part.According to the chapter on problem solving,Ellen

A)has solved an ill-defined problem.
B)is too heavily guided by mental set.
C)has focused on the initial state.
D)has overcome functional fixedness.

Question 65

11-71.Chapter 11 discusses the effects of ethnic and gender stereotypes on a test that measures math problem-solving ability.This research shows that

A)Asian women perform relatively well if their ethnicity is emphasized before they begin the math test.
B)Asian women perform relatively well if their gender is emphasized before they begin the math test.
C)European American women are not aware of stereotypes,and so they perform better than Asian women.
D)There were no ethnic or gender differences in this study,showing that stereotypes in these two areas are no longer relevant in math problem solving.

Question 66

11-72.Chapter 11 examines the effect of stereotype threat on problem solving.Which of the following students provides the most accurate information about stereotype threat?

A)Kirsten: "When people are in a threatening situation,they try to act in a counter-stereotypical fashion."
B)Liam: "Stereotype threat seems to reduce the capacity of working memory."
C)Treena: "Stereotype threat seems to increase the use of the hill-climbing heuristic."
D)Scott: "Stereotype threat seems to change problem-solving strategies,so that people are more likely to attend to the structural similarities of problems."

Question 67

11-66.Evelyn notices that a screw on her bicycle is loose,and she doesn't have a screwdriver with her.So she searches through her pocket and finds a dime,which is the appropriate thickness to tighten the screw.Evelyn has demonstrated

A)overcoming a mental set.
B)overcoming functional fixedness.
C)overcoming a heuristic.
D)a fixed mindset.

Question 68

11-70.Suppose that Ramón is a Latino college student who is taking a course in engineering.He is about to take the first exam in this course.He looks around the room and notices that he appears to be the only Latino student in the class.Ramón is likely to experience

A)functional fixedness.
B)bottom-up processing.
C)stereotype threat.
D)intrinsic motivation.

Question 69

11-63.What is the difference between functional fixedness and mental set?

A)A mental set is more rigid than functional fixedness.
B)Functional fixedness emphasizes the objects involved in solving the problem,whereas mental set emphasizes the problem solver's strategies.
C)Functional fixedness applies to problem finding,whereas mental set applies to problem solving.
D)There is no substantial difference; the two terms are identical.

Question 70

11-62.Heidi is taking an online class with timed exams,and Heidi complains that the exams are not fair to her because she reads more slowly than the average student.Heidi's instructor tells her that reading speed and comprehension are skills that can be improved with practice,and encourages her to overcome this obstacle instead of using it as an excuse.Heidi's instructor is encouraging her to adopt

A)a fixed mindset.
B)a growth mindset.
C)functional fixedness.
D)creativity.

Question 71

11-65.Which of the following would be an example of functional fixedness?

A)Wanting to use a rope to tie your car trunk closed and failing to realize that you could use a coat-hanger for the task
B)Thinking that you must solve an algebra problem the same way you solved the previous problem in the book
C)Beginning at the end of an analogy problem and working backwards toward the initial state
D)Failing to concentrate on the surface structure of a problem

Question 72

11-76.According to the discussion of insight problems and noninsight problems,

A)insight requires a sudden solution to a problem,without awareness that the problem has been successfully solved.
B)people solve insight problems more gradually than noninsight problems.
C)noninsight problems require more creativity than insight problems.
D)noninsight problems are typically solved in a systematic,one-step-at-a-time fashion.

Question 73

11-68.Heather and Tom want to bake some blueberry muffins,but they do not have a muffin tin.So Heather takes some soda cans out of the recycling bin,Tom cuts the top 2 inches off of each can,and they use the bottoms of the cans to bake their muffins.Tom and Heather have demonstrated

A)a fixed mindset.
B)use of an algorithm.
C)overcoming functional fixedness.
D)the means-end analysis heuristic.

Question 74

11-74.Imagine that a group of male college students is about to take a test of their ability to "read" other people's body language.The students are divided into three groups.Group A is not told anything about how males and females tend to perform on this test.Group B is told that males tend to outperform females on this test.Group C is told that females tend to outperform males on this test.Based on research regarding stereotype threat,we would expect that

A)all three groups will perform similarly on the test.
B)Group C will perform best,followed by Group A and then Group B.
C)Group B will perform best,followed by Group A and then Group C.
D)Both Group B and Group C will outperform Group A.

Question 75

11-69.One way that functional fixedness and mental set are similar to each other is that

A)Both emphasize our reliance on bottom-up processing.
B)Both show that we rely too heavily on a strategy that is typically useful.
C)Both show that we tend to emphasize the positive,rather than the negative.
D)Both emphasize our inability to use situated learning effectively.

Question 76

11-61.Suppose that you believe you can increase your cognitive performance by challenging yourself to work harder and more effectively.According to your textbook,you would have

A)a fixed mindset.
B)overactive bottom-up processing.
C)a growth mindset.
D)creativity.

Question 77

11-64.In functional fixedness,

A)if an object has one particular function,we realize that the object can also be used in other capacities.
B)we realize that a problem can be solved most efficiently by the hill-climbing heuristic.
C)we rely too heavily on bottom-up processing.
D)we assign a particular use to an object,and that use tends to remain stable.

Question 78

11-77.Which of the following students' summaries about metacognition and problem solving is the most accurate?

A)Delmer: "Our metacognitions are typically more accurate for insight problems than for noninsight problems."
B)Midori: "Students are not able to predict how well they are doing on a wide variety of problem-solving tasks."
C)Saundra: "On insight problems,our confidence increases suddenly; on noninsight problems,our confidence builds up gradually."
D)Steve: "Students typically have a feeling that they know the solution when they are several steps away from solving a problem-whether the problem is an insight problem or a noninsight problem."

Question 79

11-78.The introductory discussion about creativity in Chapter 11 pointed out that

A)the definition of "creativity" specifies that the problem solution must be produced by the process of insight.
B)researchers do not agree on a universal definition of the term "creativity."
C)researchers have conducted numerous studies on creativity,but this research has not yet been described in many psychology journals or books.
D)unlike other kinds of problem-solving tasks,creativity does not require us to reach a goal state.

Question 80

11-75.The discussion of insight in problem solving pointed out that

A)gestalt psychologists emphasized the importance of insight in solving problems.
B)behaviorist psychologists were especially interested in the kinds of problems that require insight.
C)when people solve insight problems,their confidence builds gradually as they work on the solution to a problem.
D)people solve noninsight problems more quickly when they realize that their basic assumptions are not appropriate.