Deck 12: Problem Solving

Question 1

According to Thorndike,if a response leads to a satisfying outcome,the connection between the response and the situation in which it took place will be strengthened.This learning process is called

A)subgoal analysis.
B)law of effect.
C)law of association.
D)insight.

Answer 1

law of effect.

Question 2

Which approach to problem solving attempts to minimize the "distance" between an initial state and a goal state by breaking the problem down into a series of subgoals?

A)Gestalt approach
B)Behaviorist approach
C)GPS approach
D)Structuralist approach

Answer 2

GPS approach

Question 3

Thorndike's view is to the Gestalt view as ______ is to

A)reinforcement;insight.
B)sudden;gradual.
C)parallel;serial.
D)noncognitive;cognitive.

Answer 3

reinforcement;insight.

Question 4

What does GPS stand for?

A)Goal,problem,solution
B)General problem solver
C)Generic problem solution
D)Genuine problem steps

Question 5

Verbal protocols are ______ and represent a return to the early methods espoused by

A)step-by-step recordings of exactly what a person did in solving a problem;behaviorists.
B)step-by-step recordings of exactly what a person did in solving a problem;structuralists.
C)"thinking aloud" reports by the problem solver as they work on the problem;behaviorists.
D)"thinking aloud" reports by the problem solver as they work on the problem;structuralists.

Question 6

Which of the following is not generally considered to be a component of a problem?

A)A goal
B)A reward
C)A set of constraints
D)A set of obstacles to overcome

Question 7

According to problem solving as the law of effect,

A)animals will develop mental representations of effective responses.
B)problem solving involves a restructuring of problem elements.
C)problem solving involves a series of mental processes occurring in sequence.
D)problem solving is a mindless playing out of associations learned over time.

Question 8

The Tower of Hanoi problem,in which you move a series of rings from one side of a playing board to the other limited by certain constraints,would be considered

A)an arrangement problem.
B)a divergent problem.
C)a transformation problem.
D)a deduction problem.

Question 9

According to the Gestalt psychologists,the sudden and successful restructuring of problem elements is called

A)the law of effect.
B)subgoal analysis.
C)insight.
D)problem space restructuring.

Question 10

"Correct specification of the problem space" would be the way in which the General Problem Solver framework describes

A)functional fixedness.
B)creativity.
C)problem representation.
D)problem solution.

Question 11

Mental set operates at which stage of problem solving?

A)Problem representation
B)Generation of solutions
C)Problem identification
D)Applying solutions

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of functional fixedness?

A)Dan always uses the same old banged-up set of tools to fix everything.
B)Steve always takes the same route to work every day,in spite of constant traffic jams.
C)Kimber doesn't think of using her CD case an as ice scraper to clear her windshield.
D)Alexander loves his new computer game so much that he can't stop playing it.

Question 13

Which of these is not one of the assumptions of the information-processing (GPS)approach to problem solving?

A)Solution involves a sudden realization or breakthrough.
B)Solution involves a serial process that moves one closer and closer to the ultimate goal.
C)Solution involves breaking a problem down into manageable parts.
D)Problem solving involves movement through what is called "problem space."

Question 14

Looking at a sequence of numbers and trying to figure out the correct next number in the sequence would be considered

A)an arrangement problem.
B)a divergent problem.
C)a transformation problem.
D)an induction problem.

Question 15

In a study on stereotype threat,Quinn and Spencer (2001)had female and male participants engage in mathematical reasoning tasks.In one condition (group A),participants were told that the test was gender fair,yielding equivalent performance between men and women.The other group (group B)was given no such instruction.The results showed that

A)men outperformed women,but only in group B.
B)men outperformed women,but only in group A.
C)men outperformed women in both groups.
D)women outperformed men in both groups.

Question 16

Well-defined is to ill-defined as ______ is to

A)anagram with a short word;anagram with a long word.
B)long division;writing a paper.
C)unclear;clear.
D)essay;multiple choice.

Question 17

The tendency to rely on habits and procedures that worked to solve a problem in the past is called

A)functional fixedness.
B)stereotype threat.
C)problem representation.
D)mental set.

Question 18

Suppose I am planning a wedding with 200 guests,and everyone is going to have a designated place at 22 different dinner tables.Trying to figure out who is going to sit where,and with whom,would be considered

A)an arrangement problem.
B)a divergent problem.
C)a transformation problem.
D)a deduction problem.

Question 19

In Duncker's famous candle problem study of functional fixedness,which of these conditions typically led to a breakthrough and eventual solution?

A)Presenting the candles standing up on end
B)Presenting the matches and tacks outside of their respective boxes
C)Presenting the tacks in the match box and the matches in the tack box
D)Presenting some other type of material,like buttons,in one of the boxes

Question 20

Trying to think of as many uses for a paper clip as you can would be considered

A)an arrangement problem.
B)a divergent problem.
C)a transformation problem.
D)a deduction problem.

Question 21

In the classic study of using analogies to aid in problems,Gick and Holyoak (1983)found that only one condition was successful in triggering participants to notice and successfully apply an analogy.Which condition was it?

A)The condition in which they were given a diagram of the source problem
B)The condition in which they were given two source problems and had to map out their relationship
C)The condition in which they were given a source problem and a statement of the underlying general principle
D)None of the analogy conditions were better than just presenting the participants with the target problem alone.

Question 22

Which of these is not a difference between the way experts and novices go about solving a problem?

A)Experts tend to work backward;novices tend to work forward.
B)Experts can practically bypass working memory in encoding problem information;novices can't.
C)Novices tend to pick up on surface features,while experts are better at picking up structural features.
D)Experts are better at picking up on analogies and using them to solve problems.

Question 23

A finding regarding medical expertise indicates that those at an intermediate level of knowledge actually remember more information than do experts.This is called the

A)intern effect.
B)novice effect.
C)intermediate effect.
D)expert effect.

Question 24

Research on the ability to see and apply analogies between the "radiation problem" (tumor problem)and the attack problem indicates that

A)people commonly miss the analogy with or without a hint.
B)people easily see the connection between the problems,and use it to solve the second one.
C)people rarely see the connection between the problems unless they're given a hint;then,they usually do make the connection.
D)analogies only work with complex problems,not simple ones.

Question 25

Chase and Simon (1973)performed a classic investigation of memory for pieces on a chessboard,comparing experts and novices on their ability to quickly apprehend and later remember chess piece configurations as set up on a chessboard.They compared situations in which the pieces were in a random configuration to situations in which the pieces were in a game configuration.What did they find?

A)Experts remembered the pieces and their arrangement better regardless of their configuration.
B)Experts remembered the pieces and arrangements better,but only in the game configuration condition.
C)Experts remembered the pieces and arrangements better,but only in the random configuration condition.
D)Novices actually remembered the pieces better in the game configuration condition.

Question 26

Means-end analysis is basically a fancy term for

A)breaking a problem down into subgoals.
B)applying analogies to solve a problem.
C)applying algorithms to solve a problem.
D)working backward to solve a problem.

Question 27

Castel,McCabe,Roediger,and Heitman (2007)investigated whether experts might be more or less susceptible than novices to the DRM memory illusion.They tested people who were more and less knowledgeable about and found that experts were

A)football;more likely than novices to falsely recall items.
B)football;less likely than novices to falsely recall items.
C)cooking;more likely than novices to falsely recall items.
D)cooking;less likely than novices to falsely recall items.

Question 28

According to skilled-memory theory,

A)experts just naturally have better memories than novices.
B)experts must make more of an effort to encode information into LTM;this leads to better memory.
C)experts take more time when they're retrieving information from memory.
D)experts have more richly elaborated semantic networks relevant to the domain than do novices.

Question 29

According to the mere effort account of the stereotype threat effect,invoking a stereotype

A)disrupts cognitive performance in all circumstances.
B)pushes people away from their prepotent response,disrupting performance.
C)pushes people toward their prepotent response,which can enhance performance under some circumstances.
D)pushes people toward their prepotent response when it's inappropriate,and away from it when it's appropriate.

Question 30

Wallas (1926)proposed a four-stage model of the creative process,which includes all of the following stages except

A)encoding.
B)verification.
C)illumination.
D)insight.

Question 31

One oft-cited estimate is that it takes ______ years of continuous effort to develop expertise in some domain.

A)5
B)10
C)14
D)20

Question 32

Catrambone,Craig,and Nersessian (2006)tested the possible role of analogy in aiding problem solving by adding an enactment condition in which participants manipulated blocks to process the analogy.What happened in this study?

A)Problem solving in all conditions was unaided by the analogy,no matter the encoding condition.
B)The enactment condition was superior to both a sketch and verbal condition.
C)The enactment condition equaled the sketch condition,and both were better than the verbal condition.
D)The enactment condition equaled the verbal condition,and both were better than the sketch condition.

Question 33

Pretz (2008)compared the two modes of reasoning proposed by the dual-process approach,terming them intuition and analysis.She looked at the role they played in solving problems about and found that

A)college performance;less-experienced students solved problems more easily when given intuitive instructions than when given analytic instructions.
B)college performance;less-experienced students solved problems more easily when given analytic instructions than when given intuitive instructions.
C)romantic relationships;less-experienced students solved problems more easily when given intuitive instructions than when given analytic instructions.
D)romantic relationships;less-experienced students solved problems more easily when given analytic instructions than when given intuitive instructions.

Question 34

In applying the dual-process view of reasoning to problem solving,most would agree that

A)both algorithms and heuristics are clear instances of System 1 (automatic and unconscious)reasoning.
B)both algorithms and heuristics are clear instances of System 2 (controlled and conscious)reasoning.
C)algorithms are akin to System 1 reasoning,and heuristics are akin to System 2 reasoning.
D)heuristics are akin to System 1 reasoning,and algorithms are akin to System 2 reasoning.

Question 35

Algorithm is to heuristic as _____ is to

A)right;wrong.
B)efficient;inefficient.
C)computers;humans.
D)science;math.

Question 36

Using problems that have already been solved as aids for representing and solving the problem currently being faced is called

A)an algorithm.
B)reasoning by analogy.
C)means-end analysis.
D)working backward.

Question 37

Which of these processes is not necessary for the successful use of analogies?

A)Noticing
B)Mapping
C)Schema development
D)Integration

Question 38

The vastness of problem space associated with many problems

A)is the result of the application of algorithms.
B)is "cut down" when a problem solver uses algorithms.
C)makes algorithms the best approach for solving most problems.
D)renders algorithms impractical for solving many problems.

Question 39

Nunes and Kramer (2009)investigated whether age-related declines in certain aspects of performance (e.g. ,speed,multitasking)are offset by experience.What did they find?

A)There was no experience-related sparing of abilities;younger participants outperformed older participants across the board.
B)There was complete experience-related sparing of abilities;the experience of older participants mitigated any basic disadvantages in processing.
C)There was experience-related sparing of abilities,but only for executive control tasks like task switching.
D)There was experience-related sparing of abilities,but only for simple tasks like conflict detection.

Question 40

Surface features are to structural features as ______ is to

A)analogy;means-end analysis.
B)surface structure;deep structure.
C)successful application of analogy;unsuccessful application of analogy.
D)radiation problem;commander problem.

Question 41

According to Smith's contextual view of incubation,what should you do if you are stymied during the problem solving process?

A)Stay in the same place as long as it takes to finish the problem.
B)Call someone to come into your current environment,and then both stay there until the problem is solved.
C)Change your current environment;the context change will make success more likely.
D)Go on the Internet and use Google to help you solve the problem.

Question 42

Research on the brain correlates of problem solving indicate that

A)creative problem solving seems to be associated more with the right hemisphere activation than with the left.
B)solving remote associates is a completely left brain activity.
C)creative problem solving is lateralized-both hemispheres show equal activation.
D)the solving of non-insight problems seems to be the province of the right hemisphere.

Question 43

Which of the following is not one of the dimensions that Rhodes (1961/1987)proposes as influencing creativity?

A)Press
B)Person
C)Product
D)Process

Question 44

In a study by Bowers,Regehr,Balthazard,and Parker (1990),participants were given dyads of triads-two remote associate triplets,only one of which actually converged on an associate (e.g. ,notch-flight-spin,which can all be associated with TOP,versus clear-role-force,which have no common associate).Upon the presentation of the two triads,participants had to attempt a solution,and if unsuccessful,were to guess which of the triads were actually solvable.The results indicated that

A)participants usually failed to come up with an associate,and weren't very good at picking the solvable triad,either.
B)participants regularly came up with associates for the triads that had no obvious associate.
C)participants had good metacognitive awareness of the processes that led to the problem solution.
D)even if participants couldn't come up with the associate,they were better than chance at picking which triad was solvable.

Question 45

Which of these would be considered a non-insight problem?

A)Duncker candle problem
B)Two-string problem
C)Nine-dot problem
D)Tower of Hanoi

Question 46

Prodigious talents like Beethoven are said to have creativity,while the everyday skilled practitioner within a domain (e.g. ,music)is said to have creativity.

A)eminent;pro-c
B)big-C;little c
C)pro-C;little c
D)pro-C;eminent

Question 47

The notion of incubation has a great deal of intuitive validity-the idea of taking a break aids in the solution to a problem-makes sense.What is the empirical evidence for this phenomenon?

A)Empirical work has failed to find it at all.
B)There is some limited evidence for this phenomenon.
C)The phenomenon is quite robust,having been obtained in a variety of settings and experimental procedures.
D)It's impossible to test in the laboratory,so the notion remains entirely speculative.

Question 48

Metcalfe investigated the metacognition involved in solving insight and non-insight problems.She found

A)no evidence of any kind of the "Aha!" experience.
B)that problem solvers are pretty sensitive to their own problem solving process,but only for insight problems.
C)that problem solvers are pretty sensitive to their own problem solving process,but only for non-insight problems.
D)that problem solvers are pretty sensitive to their own problem solving processes for all problem types.

Question 49

According to the Gestalt notion of insight,people are obstructed in problem solving because they make one critical unwarranted assumption.If this incorrect assumption is removed,the floodgates open to a sudden solution.Kershaw and Ohlsson (2004)did a review of how people solve ________;their results were ________with the Gestalt view.

A)the nine-dot problem;inconsistent
B)the nine-dot problem;consistent
C)the Tower of Hanoi problem;inconsistent
D)the Tower of Hanoi problem;consistent

Question 50

What area of the brain showed increased activity on fMRI scans during insight problem solving?

A)Suprachiasmatic nucleus
B)Anterior superior temporal gyrus
C)Wernicke's area
D)The limbic system