As defined in Cognitive Psychology article, “a problem occurs when there is an obstacle between a present state and a goal and it is not immediately obvious how to get around the obstacle” (Duncker, 1945; Lovett. 2002). We looked at how Gestalt psychologists would resolve a problem. They would analyze (1) how people represent a problem in their mind, and (2) how solving a problem involves reorganization or restructuring of this representation (Goldstein, 2011). We will explore how problems arise in everyday life, and how they can be represented and solved. In essence, there are many ways that problems can be represented and multiple ways to achieve results.

Perception is important in organizing the problem into an understandable conception. Many people perceive problems in different ways. In the example from the article, a crossword puzzle, has many ways to perceive it, and restructure it into manageable and solvable portions. In a real-life example, I had to arrange to set up the Christmas decorations this weekend. While this may sound undaunting and simple, as many know, it is almost never the case. In this example, I knew that the solution was to create manageable portions to complete to solve the larger problem. This insight did not come without practice. Being faced with daunting tasks before, this strategy has worked many times and has been proven to be effective.

Moving forward, I identified the problem to be addressed, setting up the Christmas decorations. I perceived the problem and setup a strategy to solve the problem. I wrote down what needed to be done in a checklist. I gathered the decorations and placed them where they would eventually go. I then began to set up and make sure everything worked and looked nice. I checked off each task as it was completed. Once done, the problem of setting up the Christmas decorations had been solved.

We can also address at the same problem, setting up Christmas decorations using a different approach, the Newell and Simon’s Approach. For this approach there are things that can be done and things that cannot. The initial state is an undecorated room, and the goal state is a decorated room. The operators were the sets of tasks which must be completed to bring the room from a state of undecorated to decorated. The various intermediate states are the states which exist between the undecorated and decorated state. Each intermediate state is a product of subgoals. The various subgoals include: setting up the lights, setting up garland on the mantle, hanging up stockings and placing the tree and decorating the tree. No subgoal can be skipped, or else the goal state will not be achieved.

In short, there are multiple avenues which can be used to solve a problem, but the most important step is to first identify the problem and then represent it in an easily understandable way. The way in which the problem is presented will likely influence the way that it is approached and solved. While various methods have different steps, the goal is ultimately the same. I feel that in addressing the problem above, the Newell and Simon’s approach works best. It helped resolve the problem in the most straightforward, efficient and understandable way.

References

Goldstein, E. B. (2011). Cognitive psychology: connecting mind, research, and everyday experience. Cengage Learning.