Which is the best example of someone using a heuristic in problem solving?
a. Susan wants to know how long it will take her to drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles. She knows that the distance is 400 miles, and she figures she will average 50 miles an hour with stops, so she predicts the trip will take 8 hours.
b. Vinnie has a round hot tub that is 6 feet in diameter; he wants to build a top to cover it. He remembers the formula for calculating the area of a circle and works out how many feet of lumber he needs.
c. John wants to buy a computer. He compares prices at different computer stores and buys whatever is least expensive.
d. To create a plot for the short story she needs to write, Marion breaks her task into smaller pieces: (1) Decide who or what her main character will be, (2) think of a conflict for the character to encounter, and (3) identify a reasonable resolution.
Question 2
Which one of the following examples most clearly illustrates the effect of mental set on problem solving?
a. Albert is trying to solve a physics problem on a class exam. He is so anxious that he can't remember how to do the problem.
b. Bradley can't find the right size of test tube to complete a chemistry lab.
c. Charlie has just completed six math problems requiring addition. When he turns to the next problem, he overlooks the subtraction sign and so adds instead of subtracting.
d. Doug is angry that another boy stole his bicycle, and so he steals a bicycle from someone else.
A Possible Problem with the Anger and Concentration Experiment
Cards Used in a Socially Situated Version of the Problem-Solving Test
How to solve a trigonometric problem involving two right triangles (Question 1)
Solving linear system by elimination
The predicted solution to the problem posed
Problem