Psychology Commons^™

This paper presents a bibliography of 263 references related to human problem solving, arranged by subject matter. The references were taken from PsycInfo and Academic Premier database. Journal papers, book chapters, and dissertations are included. The topics include human development, education, neuroscience, and research in applied settings. It is argued that researchers are more and more engaged with problem solving research because of its centrality in human actions and because society needs advice from science in understanding and solving complex problems.

Complex Problem Solving (CPS) is a term that was introduced about 30 years ago in Germany by Dietrich Dörner. This movement established not only a new type of problem to be studied, a type that differed from “simple” problem solving in terms of complexity, temporal dynamics, and other attributes, but also a new method, namely, the use of computer-simulated microworlds. In this chapter, we focus on some of the issues that have been at the center of attention in the complex problem solving literature during the last years. The chapter is divided into four parts. In the first part, we …

At least two theoretical positions strongly suggest that intelligence and problem solving are related. First, the ability to solve problems features prominent in almost every definition of human “intelligence;” thus, problem-solving capacity is viewed as one component of intelligence. Second, intelligence is often assumed to be a predictor of problem-solving ability. Our main goal in this chapter is to review to what extent the ability to solve complex, rather than simple laboratory, problems is indeed tied, empirically, to intelligence, and, which causal direction holds between the two concepts. The chapter is divided into three main sections. In the first section, …

(from the chapter) pros and cons of experimental research [a critique of the analytical approach, alternatives to ANOVA techniques, features of the experimental approach] / a taxonomy of variables that affect complex problem solving / experimental research on complex problem solving [studies on person factors, studies on situation factors, studies on system factors, studies on interaction effects]

Studying complex problem solving by means of computer-simulated scenarios has become one of the favorite themes of modern theorists in German-speaking countries who are concerned with the psychology of thinking. Following the pioneering work of Dietrich Doerner (University of Bamberg, FRG) in the mid-70s, many new scenarios have been developed and applied in correlational as well as in experimental studies (for a review see Funke, 1988). Instead of studying problem-solving behavior in restricted situations (like the "Tower of Hanoi" or "Cannibals and Missionaries"; cf. Greeno, 1974; Jeffries, Polson, & Razran, 1977), the new approach focuses on semantically rich domains that …