The Psychology of Problem Solving

Part I. Introduction: 1. Recognizing, defining, and representing problems; 2. The acquisition of expert performance as problem solving: construction and modification of mediating mechanisms through deliberate practice; Part II. Relevant Abilities and Skills: 3. Is success or failure at problem solving complex problems related to intellectual ability?; 4. Creativity: a source of difficulty in problem solving; 5. Insights about insightful problem solving; 6. The role of working memory in problem solving; 7. Comprehension of text in problem solving; Part III. States and Strategies: 8. Motivating self-regulated problem solvers; 9. Feeling and thinking: implications for problem solving; 10. The fundamental computational biases of human cognition: heuristics that (sometimes) impair decision making and problem solving; 11. Analogical transfer in problem solving; Part IV. Conclusions and Integration: 12. Problem-solving, large/small, hard/easy problem-space/problem-solver: the issue of dichotomization.