Problem solving: perspectives from cognition and neuroscience

Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Preface; 1 What is involved in problem solving; What exactly is a problem?; Where do problems come from?; "Natural" and "unnatural" problems; What's involved in solving problems?; Approaches to the study of problem solving; Categorising problems; Summary; References; 2 Problem representation; Representations and processes; Analysing well-defined problems; The interaction of the problem solver and the task environment; Heuristic search strategies; Summary; References; 3 Transfer; Negative transfer

mental set; Mechanisms of knowledge transfer

Transfer in well-defined problemsStudies of analogical problem solving; Cognitive processes in analogical problem solving; Types of similarity; When relational structures are ignored; Summary; References; 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; Conclusion; Summary; References; 5 Developing skill; Induction; Schema development and the effects of automatisation; Cognitive architectures

Potential criticisms of cognitive modelsSummary; References; 6 Developing expertise; Stage models of expertise; The intermediate effect; What distinguishes experts and novices; Are experts smarter? Are there differences in abilities?; Is expertise due to talent or deliberate practice?; Does expertise cross domains?; Cognitive processes in expertise; Flexibility in thinking; Some potential side effects of expertise . . .; Summary; References; 7 Insight; Insight problems; Gestalt accounts of problem solving; Information processing approaches to insight; Classifying insight problems

Insight as something specialInsight as "business as usual"; Representational change theory (redistribution theory); Summary; References; 8 Creative problem solving; Breaking free of self-imposed constraints; Creative individuals; Theories of creativity: generation, evaluation and selection; CoRT; Synectics; Creative Problem Solving (CPS)

Osborn-Parnes; Summary; References; 9 The neuroscience of problem solving; Methods used in studying brain functions; Arithmetic in the brain; Stages in problem solving; Neurological processes in analogical reasoning; Neurocomputational models

Designing instruction

what can studies of the brain tell us?Neurological aspects of insight and creativity; Summary; References; 10 Conclusion; Problems, problems; References; Index