Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is a characteristic of the behaviourist approach to problem solving?
What is a characteristic of the behaviourist approach to problem solving?
- Belief that problem solving requires creativity
- Emphasis on insight and understanding
- Use of complex, abstract reasoning
- Focus on observable behaviour and stimulus-response associations (correct)
What does Thorndike's law of effect state about learning?
What does Thorndike's law of effect state about learning?
- Responses are strengthened by positive effects and weakened by negative effects. (correct)
- All problem solving occurs through insightful thought.
- Learning occurs only through insight and instant understanding.
- There is no relation between behaviour and environmental outcomes.
How did Kohler demonstrate the concept of insight in problem solving?
How did Kohler demonstrate the concept of insight in problem solving?
- By showing that chimpanzees could solve complex puzzles using trial and error.
- By providing no evidence of any learning from the chimp's attempts.
- By illustrating how a chimp could combine tools to reach a goal after some contemplation. (correct)
- By demonstrating that chimpanzees could use two short sticks when prompted.
What is the purpose of the incubation stage as proposed by Wallas?
What is the purpose of the incubation stage as proposed by Wallas?
What were the results of Silveria's experiments on incubation in problem solving?
What were the results of Silveria's experiments on incubation in problem solving?
Which stage of creative thinking involves testing the feasibility of a new insight?
Which stage of creative thinking involves testing the feasibility of a new insight?
In Murray and Denny's study, how did breaks influence participants' problem-solving ability?
In Murray and Denny's study, how did breaks influence participants' problem-solving ability?
Which of the following best describes the Gestalt approach to problem-solving?
Which of the following best describes the Gestalt approach to problem-solving?
What is the Einstellung effect primarily concerned with?
What is the Einstellung effect primarily concerned with?
How did the control group in Luchins' water jug problem experiment differ from the SET group?
How did the control group in Luchins' water jug problem experiment differ from the SET group?
What is meant by functional fixedness in problem-solving?
What is meant by functional fixedness in problem-solving?
Which method was suggested to overcome fixedness based on Scheerer's findings?
Which method was suggested to overcome fixedness based on Scheerer's findings?
What does the 'feeling of knowing' (FoK) phenomenon describe?
What does the 'feeling of knowing' (FoK) phenomenon describe?
According to Metcalfe’s research, how does the feeling of warmth (FoW) function in problem-solving?
According to Metcalfe’s research, how does the feeling of warmth (FoW) function in problem-solving?
Which barrier to problem-solving refers to continued use of a method that may be outdated?
Which barrier to problem-solving refers to continued use of a method that may be outdated?
What is the primary experimental condition used in assessing the impact of mental sets according to Luchins’ work?
What is the primary experimental condition used in assessing the impact of mental sets according to Luchins’ work?
What key distinction does Thorndike's experiment highlight about the behaviourist approach to problem solving?
What key distinction does Thorndike's experiment highlight about the behaviourist approach to problem solving?
Which aspect of the incubation stage is emphasized through the findings of Silveria's experiments?
Which aspect of the incubation stage is emphasized through the findings of Silveria's experiments?
What conclusion can be drawn from Murray and Denny's study regarding problem-solving ability?
What conclusion can be drawn from Murray and Denny's study regarding problem-solving ability?
What distinguishes deductive reasoning from inductive reasoning?
What distinguishes deductive reasoning from inductive reasoning?
Which concept refers to the idea that scientific theories should be tested by attempts to disprove them?
Which concept refers to the idea that scientific theories should be tested by attempts to disprove them?
In the Wason card selection task, what is a common error that participants make?
In the Wason card selection task, what is a common error that participants make?
What role does pragmatic reasoning play in problem-solving?
What role does pragmatic reasoning play in problem-solving?
Which scenario exemplifies the principle that experience improves reasoning performance?
Which scenario exemplifies the principle that experience improves reasoning performance?
What outcome was found regarding incentives in the performance of reasoning tasks?
What outcome was found regarding incentives in the performance of reasoning tasks?
What is a key reason participants struggle with the Wason task?
What is a key reason participants struggle with the Wason task?
What characterizes deductive reasoning in the context of logical conclusions?
What characterizes deductive reasoning in the context of logical conclusions?
Which statement accurately reflects the process of scientific induction?
Which statement accurately reflects the process of scientific induction?
What does the memory cueing hypothesis suggest regarding reasoning performance?
What does the memory cueing hypothesis suggest regarding reasoning performance?
Which reasoning method allows for the conclusion to be drawn directly from premises without considering alternatives?
Which reasoning method allows for the conclusion to be drawn directly from premises without considering alternatives?
What is a characteristic of invalid syllogisms that distinguishes them from valid syllogisms?
What is a characteristic of invalid syllogisms that distinguishes them from valid syllogisms?
Which of the following best describes the effect of mental models on reasoning performance?
Which of the following best describes the effect of mental models on reasoning performance?
In the context of conditional reasoning, what does the denial of the antecedent inaccurately imply?
In the context of conditional reasoning, what does the denial of the antecedent inaccurately imply?
Which syllogistic reasoning is more likely to lead to errors due to its complexity?
Which syllogistic reasoning is more likely to lead to errors due to its complexity?
Which of the following accurately describes the implication of modus tollens in reasoning?
Which of the following accurately describes the implication of modus tollens in reasoning?
What is a common misconception regarding the affirmation of the consequence?
What is a common misconception regarding the affirmation of the consequence?
How do mental models impact reasoning according to Johnson-Laird?
How do mental models impact reasoning according to Johnson-Laird?
What distinguishes valid syllogisms from invalid syllogisms?
What distinguishes valid syllogisms from invalid syllogisms?
In the medical diagnosis study by Casecells et al., what percentage of medical students estimated an incorrect probability of a disease due to base rate neglect?
In the medical diagnosis study by Casecells et al., what percentage of medical students estimated an incorrect probability of a disease due to base rate neglect?
How does the format of information presentation impact base rate neglect according to Cosmides & Tooby's findings?
How does the format of information presentation impact base rate neglect according to Cosmides & Tooby's findings?
What is the most accurate conclusion about base rate neglect and medical decisions?
What is the most accurate conclusion about base rate neglect and medical decisions?
What scenario illustrates the concept of base rate neglect in estimating probabilities?
What scenario illustrates the concept of base rate neglect in estimating probabilities?
What best exemplifies the concept of belief bias in reasoning?
What best exemplifies the concept of belief bias in reasoning?
Which scenario illustrates the conjunction fallacy as identified by Kahneman and Tversky?
Which scenario illustrates the conjunction fallacy as identified by Kahneman and Tversky?
What cognitive shortcut is most likely to lead to poor risk assessment?
What cognitive shortcut is most likely to lead to poor risk assessment?
According to research on frequency estimation, which of the following statements is correct?
According to research on frequency estimation, which of the following statements is correct?
What is a characteristic of heuristics in human reasoning?
What is a characteristic of heuristics in human reasoning?
What describes the gambler's fallacy?
What describes the gambler's fallacy?
What effect does the representative heuristic have on decision-making?
What effect does the representative heuristic have on decision-making?
What key mistake do individuals make when assessing probabilities as per the conjunction fallacy?
What key mistake do individuals make when assessing probabilities as per the conjunction fallacy?
What outcome did Kahneman and Tversky discover regarding base rates in judgment?
What outcome did Kahneman and Tversky discover regarding base rates in judgment?
Which bias is exemplified by a preference for the more specific description of Linda as a feminist bank teller?
Which bias is exemplified by a preference for the more specific description of Linda as a feminist bank teller?
What fundamental reasoning error is demonstrated in the engineering and lawyer study?
What fundamental reasoning error is demonstrated in the engineering and lawyer study?
What effect does the memory cueing hypothesis suggest on reasoning when individuals remember exceptions to rules?
What effect does the memory cueing hypothesis suggest on reasoning when individuals remember exceptions to rules?
How does pragmatic reasoning enhance an individual's ability to reason in real-world contexts?
How does pragmatic reasoning enhance an individual's ability to reason in real-world contexts?
What role does providing a rationale play in improving reasoning, according to Cheng & Holyoak's findings?
What role does providing a rationale play in improving reasoning, according to Cheng & Holyoak's findings?
What is the main advantage of pragmatic reasoning based on repeated experiences?
What is the main advantage of pragmatic reasoning based on repeated experiences?
Flashcards
What is a problem?
What is a problem?
An organism has a goal but doesn't know how to achieve it.
Behaviourist Approach
Behaviourist Approach
Focuses on observable behaviors and how they are learned through associations between stimuli and responses.
Thorndike's Law of Effect
Thorndike's Law of Effect
The idea that learning occurs through repeated trials and errors, where successful behaviors are strengthened.
Insight (Gestalt Approach)
Insight (Gestalt Approach)
Signup and view all the flashcards
What is Insight?
What is Insight?
Signup and view all the flashcards
Incubation (Creative Thinking)
Incubation (Creative Thinking)
Signup and view all the flashcards
Illumination (Creative Thinking)
Illumination (Creative Thinking)
Signup and view all the flashcards
Verification (Creative Thinking)
Verification (Creative Thinking)
Signup and view all the flashcards
Einstellung effect
Einstellung effect
Signup and view all the flashcards
Functional fixedness
Functional fixedness
Signup and view all the flashcards
Feeling of Knowing (FoK)
Feeling of Knowing (FoK)
Signup and view all the flashcards
Insight problems
Insight problems
Signup and view all the flashcards
Feeling of Warmth (FoW)
Feeling of Warmth (FoW)
Signup and view all the flashcards
Process of Elimination
Process of Elimination
Signup and view all the flashcards
Behaviourist approach to problem-solving
Behaviourist approach to problem-solving
Signup and view all the flashcards
Gestalt approach to problem-solving
Gestalt approach to problem-solving
Signup and view all the flashcards
Incubation for problem-solving
Incubation for problem-solving
Signup and view all the flashcards
Deductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Inductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Falsification
Falsification
Signup and view all the flashcards
Wason Task
Wason Task
Signup and view all the flashcards
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation Bias
Signup and view all the flashcards
Wason Card Selection Task
Wason Card Selection Task
Signup and view all the flashcards
Pragmatic Reasoning
Pragmatic Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Rationale & Reasoning
Rationale & Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Syllogism
Syllogism
Signup and view all the flashcards
Modus Ponens
Modus Ponens
Signup and view all the flashcards
Modus Tollens
Modus Tollens
Signup and view all the flashcards
Mental Models in Reasoning
Mental Models in Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Affirmation of the Consequence
Affirmation of the Consequence
Signup and view all the flashcards
Belief Bias
Belief Bias
Signup and view all the flashcards
Heuristics
Heuristics
Signup and view all the flashcards
Representativeness Heuristic
Representativeness Heuristic
Signup and view all the flashcards
Gambler's Fallacy
Gambler's Fallacy
Signup and view all the flashcards
Availability Heuristic
Availability Heuristic
Signup and view all the flashcards
Cognitive Biases
Cognitive Biases
Signup and view all the flashcards
Conjunction Fallacy
Conjunction Fallacy
Signup and view all the flashcards
Probability of Conjunction
Probability of Conjunction
Signup and view all the flashcards
Base Rate Neglect
Base Rate Neglect
Signup and view all the flashcards
Tversky & Kahneman (1982) Taxi-cab Study
Tversky & Kahneman (1982) Taxi-cab Study
Signup and view all the flashcards
Casecells et al. (1978) Medical Diagnosis Study
Casecells et al. (1978) Medical Diagnosis Study
Signup and view all the flashcards
Cosmides & Tooby (1996) Frequency vs. Probability
Cosmides & Tooby (1996) Frequency vs. Probability
Signup and view all the flashcards
Denial of the antecedent
Denial of the antecedent
Signup and view all the flashcards
Memory Cueing Hypothesis
Memory Cueing Hypothesis
Signup and view all the flashcards
Factors to improve performance in the selection task
Factors to improve performance in the selection task
Signup and view all the flashcards
Rationale Improves Reasoning
Rationale Improves Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Experience Without Rationale Improves Reasoning
Experience Without Rationale Improves Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
How Information is Presented Matters
How Information is Presented Matters
Signup and view all the flashcards
Instruction Improves Reasoning
Instruction Improves Reasoning
Signup and view all the flashcards
Study Notes
Problem Solving Approaches
- Problem solving arises when a clear goal exists but the solution is unknown.
- Key approaches include behaviourist, Gestalt, inductive, and deductive reasoning.
Behaviourist Approach
- Focus: Observable behaviour.
- Emphasis: Stimulus-response associations.
- Method: Trial and error.
- Thorndike's cat experiments (puzzle boxes): Demonstrated incremental learning in animals.
- Thorndike's Law of Effect: Positive consequences reinforce responses, negative consequences weaken them; problem solving is incremental, not sudden.
Gestalt Approach
- Focus: Insight.
- Kohler's chimpanzee experiments (banana): Demonstrated insightful problem solving using tools.
- Insightful solutions are sudden, unlike incremental trial and error.
Creative Thinking (Wallas)
- Stages of creative thinking:
- Preparation: Active information gathering and problem work.
- Incubation: Setting the problem aside.
- Illumination: Sudden insight into a solution.
- Verification: Testing and refining the solution.
Evidence for Incubation
- Silveria (1971): Necklace problem. Incubation benefited lower-ability individuals.
- Murray and Denny (1969): Incubation can hinder high-ability individuals, interrupting their workflow. This hindrance applies more to complex or difficult problems.
Barriers to Successful Problem Solving
- Mental Set/Einstellung: Pre-existing successful approaches hinder new solutions.
- Luchins' water jug problem: Demonstrates how an efficient, albeit inefficient approach (subtraction), prevents recognition of simpler solutions.
- Functional Fixedness: Inability to see beyond an object's typical use.
- Duncker's candle problem: Participants fixated on the box's primary function (to hold the matches) and couldn't perceive alternate uses.
- Scheerer's nine-dot problem: Individuals struggled to overcome mental rigidity, fixated on the box's primary function.
Insight and Hints
- Hints can help or solve insight problems.
- Whether true insight exists without hints is debated. Hints are essential in many scenarios.
- Weisberg & Alba (1981): Many insight problems require hints.
Role of Past Experience
- Past problem-solving experiences guide current approaches, often involving memory and restructuring (organizing past information).
Feelings of Knowing (FoK) & Feelings of Warmth (FoW)
- FoK: Feeling familiar with a solution without recall.
- Brown & McNeil (1966): Found FoK sometimes predicts answers when a word's initial letter is known. Insights problems aren't helped by feelings of knowing.
- Metcalfe (1986): FoK is useful for general knowledge, not insight problems.
- FoW: Indicates proximity to a solution.
- Metcalfe & Wiebe (1987): FoW predicts progress in incremental, not insight based, problem-solving.
Deductive Reasoning (Syllogism)
- Deductive reasoning: A logical argument with two premises and a conclusion.
- Example: All cats are animals. All animals are living organisms. Therefore, all cats are living organisms.
- Modus Ponens: If P, then Q. P → Q.
- Modus Tollens: If P, then Q. Not Q → Not P.
- Invalid syllogisms:
- Affirmation of the consequence: If P, then Q. Q → P (Incorrect assumption)
- Denial of the antecedent: If P, then Q. Not P → Not Q (Incorrect assumption)
Reasoning: Mental Models (Johnson-Laird, 1983)
- Reasoning involves creating mental models to assess conclusions based on problem information.
- Errors result from not considering all possible models; increased model complexity hinders reasoning accuracy.
- Mental models represent possibilities; they do not include impossibly.
Reasoning: Inductive and Deductive
- Reasoning employs induction and deduction.
Inductive Reasoning
- Reasoning from specific observations to general conclusions; Observation → Pattern → Hypothesis → Theory
Deduction
- Starts with a general rule and leads to a certain conclusion if the rule is true. Theory → Hypothesis → Observation → Confirmation
Reasoning Tasks
- Wason task (2-4-6 task): Confirmation bias (prior beliefs) often leads to poor performance. Minimal improvement despite incentives.
- Wason card selection task: People often choose cards that confirm, rather than falsify, the rule. Concrete examples and context improve performance (Wason & Shapiro, 1971).
- Factors Influencing Reasoning:
- Memory cues are relevant. If people remember cases that disconfirm a rule, they are more likely to falsify it (e.g., Florida's "drinking age" rule experiment, Griggs & Cox, 1982).
- Pragmatic reasoning improves performance in familiar contexts. Performance improves with concrete examples, familiar contexts, and relevant rationale (e.g., permission-based scenarios like "receipt approval for $30+ purchases"). Cheng & Holyoak (1985) supported this by showing providing rationale improves reasoning. Experience without rationale also improves reasoning. Pragmatic reasoning is gained through being used to a situation, as well as right instruction.
Biases in Reasoning
- Belief Bias: Accepting believable but invalid conclusions, overriding logical reasoning. This frequently happens with the first believable model presented.
- Heuristics: Mental shortcuts for problem solving; results are efficient but not necessarily optimal.
- Representative Heuristic (Kahneman & Tversky, 1972, 1973): Judging probability by comparing to stereotypes,
- Engineering/Lawyer example (Kahneman & Tversky, 1973): Overlooking base rates for specific features. Participants were asked to guess the profession from a box of cards with brief character descriptions. The box contained 30 descriptions of engineers and 70 of lawyers. Findings: Participants ignore the base rate probabilities and base their judgement on whether the description sounded like a description of an engineer or a lawyer.
- Conjunction Fallacy (Kahneman & Tversky, 1982): Linda problem: Thinking the probability of two events is higher than the probability of one event (e.g., bank teller and a feminist). More likely to happen with conjunctions than individual events
- Example: Linda is 31, outspoken, and concerned about discrimination. Question: Is Linda more likely a bank teller or a bank teller and a feminist? Finding: 90% chose "feminist bank teller" (conjunction fallacy).
- Gambler's Fallacy: Belief a random event's future likelihood depends on past outcomes.
- Availability Heuristic: Quick decision making based on easily accessible information, potentially impacting risk assessment. This leads to overestimation of low-frequency events and underestimation of high frequency events.
- Lichtenstein et al. (1978): Participants underestimated frequent causes of death (e.g., heart disease, cancer) and overestimated infrequent causes (e.g., accidents).
- Base Rate Neglect: Ignoring base rates (general prevalence); over-focusing on specific details.
- Tversky & Kahneman (1982): Taxi-cab study. Participants overestimated the likelihood of blue taxis based on identification accuracy, despite the base rate difference.
- Casecells et. al. (1978): Medical diagnosis study. Medical students ignored the low disease prevalence (1/1000), focusing on the false +ive rate instead; better with frequencies than probabilities (Cosmides & Tooby, 1996).
Normative Reasoning
- Decision-making involves evaluating potential outcomes and probable information. e.g., What might happen?
Human Reasoning
- Human reasoning is biased due to heuristics.
- Heuristics are cognitive shortcuts leading to sufficient, not necessarily optimal, results.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Explore the different approaches to problem solving in psychology, focusing on the behaviourist and Gestalt methods. Understand the significance of both trial and error learning and insightful problem solving as illustrated by key experiments. Additionally, delve into the stages of creative thinking and the concept of incubation.