Contents
1 What is involved in problem solving
“Natural” and “unnatural” problems
What’s involved in solving problems?
Approaches to the study of problem solving
Analysing well-defined problems
The interaction of the problem solver and the task environment
Negative transfer – mental set
Mechanisms of knowledge transfer
Transfer in well-defined problems
Studies of analogical problem solving
Cognitive processes in analogical problem solving
When relational structures are ignored
4 Worked examples and instructional design
Difficulties facing textbook writers
The role of examples in textbooks
The processes involved in textbook problem solving
Understanding problems revisited
Approaches to the design of instruction
Schema development and the effects of automatisation
Potential criticisms of cognitive models
What distinguishes experts and novices
Are experts smarter? Are there differences in abilities?
Is expertise due to talent or deliberate practice?
Cognitive processes in expertise
Some potential side effects of expertise …
Gestalt accounts of problem solving
Information processing approaches to insight
Insight as “business as usual”
Representational change theory (redistribution theory)
Breaking free of self-imposed constraints
Theories of creativity: generation, evaluation and selection
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) – Osborn–Parnes
9 The neuroscience of problem solving
Methods used in studying brain functions
Neurological processes in analogical reasoning
Designing instruction – what can studies of the brain tell us?
Neurological aspects of insight and creativity