Ch 12 Problem-solving and Creativity

Gestalt psychologists consider problem solving as a process involving

• reorganization or restructuring.
• multiple goal states.
• sensory operators.
• continuity and form.

Insight refers to

• prior learning facilitating problem solving.
• prior learning hindering problem solving.
• the tendency to respond in a certain manner, based on past experience.
• the sudden realization of a problem's solution.

Metcalfe and Wiebe gave participants problems to solve and asked them to make "warmth" judgments every 15 seconds to indicate how close they felt they were to a solution. The purpose of this experiment was to

• demonstrate a difference between how people solve insight and non-insight problems.
• show how people progress through the problem space as they solve a problem.
• show that some problems are easier to solve than others.
• measure the time-course of solving well-defined versus ill-defined problems.

Functional fixedness would be LOWEST for a(n)

• novel object
• familiar object
• frequently used object
• object with a specific function

Illustrative of functional fixedness, people are more likely to solve the candle problem if

• fewer tacks are provided.
• pliers are also presented.
• the box is empty.
• the candle is already lit.

Which problem provides an example of how functional fixedness can hinder solution of a problem?

• Tower of Hanoi problem
• Two-string problem
• Mutilated checkerboard problem
• The radiation problem

Holly was in her mother-in-law's kitchen preparing lunch for the family, but couldn’t find a ladle for the soup. Her mother-in-law later told Holly to use a coffee mug to "spoon" the soup into bowls. Holly's ability to solve the "dish up the soup" problem was hindered by which of the following obstacles?

• Discriminability
• Perseveration
• Divergent thinking
• Functional fixedness

Experts _________________ than novices.

• Have less knowledge
• are better at reasoning in general
• are more likely to be open to new ways of looking at problems
• take a more effective approach to organizing the solution to a problem

Which of the following is not true about divergent thinking?

• It is open-ended.
• It has a large number of potential solutions.
• It is the cornerstone of creativity.
• It has a single correct answer.

Which of the following is the core concept underlying the Gestalt perspective on problems?

• Analogy
• Search
• Insight
• Representation