Effect of experience and mode of presentation on problem solving

The ability to solve problems is an important aspect of everyday activities. Studying individuals with different levels of experience solve a well-defined problem will aid our understanding of everyday problem solving. The study reported considers the way in which the level of experience and differe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers in human behavior 2007, Vol.23 (1), p.258-274
Main Authors: Williams, Damien J., Noyes, Jan M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition. Intelligence
Cognitive load theory
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Instructional design
Level of experience
Problem solving
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reasoning. Problem solving
Tower of Hanoi
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Summary:The ability to solve problems is an important aspect of everyday activities. Studying individuals with different levels of experience solve a well-defined problem will aid our understanding of everyday problem solving. The study reported considers the way in which the level of experience and different modes of presentation of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle affect problem solving performance, in terms of time taken and number of moves made. Participants are classified as either novice or experienced, and assigned to one of three task environments, namely computer, mental or physical. Differences in time taken were found to relate to the level of experience, and the mode of presentation. This is thought to be due to the alleviation of the load on working memory. However, no differences were found to exist in the number of moves made to complete the puzzle. The findings are discussed in terms of the implementation of modes of presentation to assist the development of problem solving abilities.
ISSN:0747-5632
1873-7692
DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2004.10.011