Psy 416: Reasoning and Problem Solving Fall 1998
Lecture notes 1. Introduction                 Description of Course: The course has basically three components.
  1. Historical-Theoretical overview.
  2. Analytic view of problems and mental operations which are used to solve them.
  3. Synthetic or more global aspects of competence in reasoning and problem solving including acquisition of skills, intelligence, expertise, creative problem solving, etc.
I. What are problems? Problems are situations in which one has a goal, but the way to achieve that goal is not obvious. Mayer's (p 7) definition of thinking is almost identical to my definition of problem solving and William James’s definition of mind. II. Structural analysis of problems: Components in Newell and Simon's "state-space" analysis
(Mayer p 5)
a. Problem space.
b. initial state
c. intermediate states
d. goal state
e. moves, transformations, or operations
III. Well-defined and ill-defined problems.

IV. Typology of problems (incomplete and unsatisfactory)

Greeno taxonomy (M p 6)-- (1) transformations to achieve pre-identified goal, (2) arrangement, (3) inducing structure, (4) evaluating deductions

1. Barrier avoidance, problem box
2. Simple transformation problems (Greeno 1)
    Tower of Hanoi, water jug,
3. reorganize elements (Greeno 2)
    anagrams, cryptarithmetic,
4. Constrained generation of new elements (Greeno 3)
    Number sequence, analogy(?),
5. Geometry and other math problems, Logic problems (Greeno 4)
6. Problems in Physics and other sciences--Analogy
7. Memorizing a list (no transformations, goal known)
8. Induction 1: Decision and Categorization problems (Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin; Rosch,
    Controlled   association)
9. Perceptual problems (Where's Waldo, Find words in letter matrix, Find animals in picture,
    reading an x-ray)
10. Playing games well (Chess, poker, bridge, (consider particular moves in a game))
11. Creating novel objects: Writing an essay, composing a sonata, painting a picture, carving a statue,
     inventing a device, proposing a new scientific theory
12. Evaluating a claim: scientific theories, charges of a crime, designing experiments, ,
13. Skilled performance problems (Playing golf (correcting a slice), playing a sonata, painting a picture,
     carving a statue, removing a brain tumor, shooting a basketball.
14. Memory search: Answering questions, Taking a test, recalling a phone number,
15. Planning: Passing a test, Getting an A in a course, getting a job.
16. Find historical causes (Solving crimes, explaining historical events)
17. Social or political persuasion (Getting someone to do a favor, convincing someone of something,
      getting elected to public office, getting a job)

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