Author:
Muneo Kitajima
Affiliation:
Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan
Keyword(s):
Adaptive Problem Solving, Problem Solving Skill, Well-Defined Problem, Ill-Defined Problem, MHP/RT, Multi-Dimensional Memory Frame, Routine Expertise, Adaptive Expertise.
Abstract:
There are three methods for deriving a solution for a problem with which a person is facing, which are 1)
retrieval of an existing solution from his/her own memory or from available external resources including
human resources, digital resources, and so on, 2) clarifying the constraints to meet and discovering a solution
that should satisfy them by exploring the problem space, or 3) deriving a solution by applying inference
rules successively until the goal state is achieved. This paper describes the distinctive cognitive processes that
respective methods should use when deriving a solution. On the assumption that the ultimately needed problem
solving skill would be the one which makes a person solve any problem by himself or herself without reliance
on any external resources other than himself/herself, i.e., adaptive problem solving, this paper discusses the
implications of the respective methods of problem solving to acquiring the required problem solving skill.