83: january 13
TRANSCRIPT
Day 83: January 13
Problem Solving
Some Basics
Cognition—the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
SOME BASICS
Concepts—a mental grouping of similar objects, events, ideas, or people
Prototypes—a mental image or best example of a category. Matching new items to a
prototype provides a quick and easy method for sorting items into categories
ACTIVITY 1: What is prototypical? Give the best example (or first example that comes to mind) when given the following categories. After you write down your answers (in packet), proceed to the next slide.
1. A bird
2. A color
3. A triangle
4. A motor vehicle
5. A sentence
6. A hero
7. A heroic action
8. A game
9. A philosopher
10. A writer
There are no “right” answers, but these are the most common responses, or the most prototypical
responses.
1. A bird: a robin, sparrow, or eagle
2. A color: red or blue
3. A triangle: a picture of an equilateral triangle
4. A motor vehicle: a car
5. A sentence: a short declarative sentence
6. A hero: Superman or Batman…possible fireman
7. A heroic action: a single act by a male
8. A game: Monopoly
9. A philosopher: Socrates or Aristotle
10. A writer: Stephen King…white, male author
The table below moves from prototypical to atypical—some of which we wouldn’t even place in a category
of “vehicles” or “fruits.”
Which are cups, vases, or bowls? Your answer depends on your prototype for each.
Problem-Solving—process of cognition that occurs when a goal must be reached by thinking and behaving in certain ways.
DID YOU USE ANY OF THESE AS YOU ATTEMPTED TO SOLVE THE PUZZLES/BRAIN-TEASERS? TIPS FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING
1. Work backwards2. Recognize irrelevant information3. Graphic illustrations4. Restate the problem5. Insight and incubation6. Avoid unnecessary constraints
#1
Cross out six letters to make a single word out of the following:
C S R I E X L E A T T T E R E S
CONTENT CONNECTION: The Process of Problem-Solving
CHECK YOUR ANSWERS ON P. 10 AND 11
#1
Cross out six letters to make a single word out of the following:
C S R I E X L E A T T T E R E S
You must cross out the “S,” the “I,” the “X,” the “L”…and so on—all of the letters that comprise “Six Letters.”
The remaining letters spell: CREATE.
#2: Husbands and Wives
Three men—Fred, Ed, and Ted—are married to Joan, Sally, and Vickie, but not
necessarily in that order. Joan, who is Ed’s sister, lives in Detroit. Fred
dislikes animals. Ed weighs more than the man who is married to Vickie. The
man married to Sally breeds Siamese cats as a hobby. Fred commutes over 200
hours a year from his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan to his job in Detroit. Match up the men with the women they married.
Next slide will reveal answer.
#2: Husbands and Wives
Fred is married to Vickie.Ed is married to Sally.Ted is married to Joan.
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Trial and error—problem-solving method in which one possible solution after another is
tried until a successful one is found
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Algorithms—a methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular
problem. This contrasts with the usually speedier—but more error—use of heuristics
It is a rule that guarantees an
answer, usually by way of a formula.
Take a minute to watch VIDEO 1: BIG BANG.
S P L O Y O C H Y G
UNSCRAMBLE THE WORD BELOW.
PSYCHOLOGY
If we were to unscramble these letters to form a word
using an algorithmic approach, we would face
907,208 possibilities…SO INSTEAD, YOU USED A…
UNSCRAMBLE THE WORD BELOW.
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Heuristic—a simple thinking strategy that often allows us to make judgments and solve
problems efficiently; usually speedier but more error-prone that algorithms…more on
this later.
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Rule of thumb—a general rule that fits most situations
Check out this site that documents general RULES OF THUMB.
http://rulesofthumb.org/
PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGIES
Insight—a sudden and often novel realization of the solution to a problem; it contrasts with
strategy-based solutions
This is like Skinner’s pigeon who suddenly got the idea to use the box as a stool to get the hanging fruit.
#3
The maker doesn’t want it, the buyer doesn’t use it, and the user doesn’t see
it. What is it?
Next slide will reveal answer.
#3
A COFFIN
#4
What number is next in the series: 10, 4, 3, 11, 15, _?
A. 14
B. 1
C. 17
D. 12
Next slide will reveal answer.
#4
What number is next in the series: 10, 4, 3, 11, 15, _?
A. 14
Ten is spelled with three letters, four with four, three
with five…and so on.
#5
a. STA4NCE
b. O_ER_T_O_
c. LITTLE LITTLE LATE LATE
d. YOU JUST ME
Next slide will reveal answer.
#5
a. STA4NCE: For instance
b. O_ER_T_O_: Painless operation
c. LITTLE LITTLE LATE LATE: Too little, too late
d. YOU JUST ME: Just between you and me
#6
Next slide will reveal answer.
#6
CONTENT CONNECTION:TRIAL AND ERROR
#10: REMOTE ASSOCIATION TEST
a. Law, Birthday, Swim
b. Brother, Sister, Knight
c. Paint, Doll, Dog
d. Cottage, Cake, Blue
e. Toast, Poodle, Kiss
f. Heart, Tooth, Talk
Next slide will reveal answer.
#10: REMOTE ASSOCIATION TEST
CONTENT CONNECTION:TRIAL AND ERROR
a. Law, Birthday, Swim: SUIT
b. Brother, Sister, Knight: HOOD
c. Paint, Doll, Dog: HOUSE
d. Cottage, Cake, Blue: CHEESE
e. Toast, Poodle, Kiss: FRENCH
f. Heart, Tooth, Talk: SWEET
Creativity—the ability to produce novel and valuable ideas
ROBERT STERNBERG’S COMPONENTS OF CREATIVITY
1.Expertise2.Imaginative thinking skills3.A venturesome personality4.Intrinsic motivation5.A creative environment
Convergent thinking—type of thinking in which a problem is seen as having only one
answer, and all lines of thinking will eventually lead to that single answer, using
previous knowledge and logic.
Divergent thinking—type of thinking in which a person starts from one point and comes up with many different ideas or
possibilities based on that point.
OBSTACLES TO PROBLEM SOLVING
#9: Paper clip
Write down all the different uses for this ordinary paper clip.
CONTENT CONNECTION: Creativity
#9: Paper clip
Write down all the different uses for this ordinary paper clip.
Speaker Ken Robinson suggests that children are much better at this than adults. Robinson asserts that schools kill
creativity. (I strongly disagree with this, by the way.)
#9: Paper clip
Some great examples of creativity.
Hull strawberries easily using a straw.
Stop cut apples browning in your childs lunch box by securing with a rubber band.
Pump up the volume by placing your iPhone & iPod in a bowl. The concave shape amplifies the music.
Overhaul your linen cupboard, store bed linen sets inside one of their own pillowcases and there will be no more hunting through piles for a match.
Bake cupcakes directly in ice-cream cones, so much more fun and easier for kids to eat.
A muffin pan becomes a craft caddy. Magnets hold the plastic cups down to make them tip-resistant.
Toast your bread to perfection.
Put your baby to work mopping.
Someone stealing your sandwich. The bag makes it “look” moldy.
Obstacles to problem solving
Confirmation Bias—a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions
and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence
OBSTACLES TO PROBLEM SOLVING
Mental set—a tendency to approach a problem in one particular way, often a way
that has been successful in the past
Functional fixedness—the tendency to think of things only in terms of their usual functions; an impediment to problem
solving
OBSTACLES TO PROBLEM SOLVING
Fixation—the inability to see a problem from a new perspective by employing a different
mental set
#7
Next slide will reveal answer.
#7
CONTENT CONNECTION:FIXATION, MENTAL SET, FUNCTIONAL FIXEDNESS
#8
CONTENT CONNECTION:FIXATION, MENTAL SET, FUNCTIONAL FIXEDNESS
These innovators have successfully overcome FUNCTIONAL FIXEDNESS.
Turn your muffin pan upside down, bake cookie-dough over the top and voila, you have cookie bowls for fruit or ice-cream.
Create a window-box veggie patch using guttering.
Use egg cartons to separate and store your Christmas decorations.
Making Decisions and Forming Judgments
Intuition—an effortless, immediate, automatic feeling or thought, as contrasted
with explicit conscious reasoning
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
A bat and a ball
A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does
the ball cost?
Next slide will reveal answer.
A bat and a ball
The bat costs $1.05; the ball costs 5 cents. Did you get it wrong? Lots of people do.
Intuition can steer us wrong.
Next slide will reveal answer.
Overconfidence—the tendency to be more confident than correct—to overestimate the
accuracy of our beliefs and judgments
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
Fact: only 50% of people in any particular field can be above average.
Fact: 80% of the people in the US describe themselves as above average.
(Therefore, 30% of Americans have an unrealistic view of their abilities.)
Representative heuristic—judging the likelihood of things in terms of how well
they seem to represent, or match, particular prototypes; this may lead us to ignore other
relevant information
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
Who went to Harvard?
You see where this is going, right?
Who went to Harvard?
Sonia Dara did. A 2013 grad. She probably doesn’t not fit/”represent” our image of a
Harvard student.
Availability heuristics—estimating the likelihood of events based on their
availability in memory; if instances come readily to mind (perhaps because of their vividness), we presume such events are
common
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
Earlier this year, Ebola seemed to be sweeping the world. You might be surprised to know that you have a 1:13.3
million chance of contracting Ebola.
To put this in perspective, you have a 1:3.7 million chance of being killed by a shark in your lifetime.
AVAILABILITY HEURISTIC affects our thinking. See more on link at the bottom of the lesson
to see Ebola statistics.
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
Which city in the US has the highest crime rate?What came to mind?
City Crime Risk Index1. St. Louis 5302. Atlanta 484
3. Birmingham Alabama (tie) 380
3. Orlando (tie) 380
5. Detroit 3696. Memphis 3617. Miami 3468. Baltimore 339
9. Kansas City, Missouri 337
10. Minneapolis (tie) 33110. Cleveland (tie) 331
The 11 Most Dangerous CitiesThese cities have the highest overall crime rates in the United States
Availability Heuristic
Why does our availability heuristic lead us astray?If it is easy to recall (remember), the probability or
frequency must be very high.
How is retrieval facilitated?
1. How recently we have heard about the event.
2. How distinct it is.
3. How correct it is.
Belief perseverance—clinging to one’s initial conceptions after the basis on which they
were formed has been discredited
Please read p. 15 in notes packet.
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS
Framing—the way an issue is posed; how an issue is framed can significantly affect
decisions and judgments
MAKING DECISIONS AND FORMING JUDGMENTS