The Psychology of Problem Solving

This theory proposes that metacompo-nents guide problem solving by planning, monitoring, and evaluating theproblem-solving process. The metacomponents include such processes as(1) recognizing the existence of a problem, (2) defining the nature of theproblem, (3) allocating mental and physical resources to solving the prob-lem, (4) deciding how to represent information about the problem, (5) gen-erating the set of steps needed to solve the problem, (6) combining thesesteps into a workable strategy for problem solution, (7) monitoring theproblem-solving process while it is ongoing, and (8) evaluating the solu-tion to the problem after problem solving is completed. In this theoreticalcontext, the processes of problem recognition, definition, and representa-tion correspond to the first, second, and fourth metacomponents, whichare used in the planning phase of problem solving

there are three kinds of problems: those that are presented, those that are discovered, and those that are created.

Mental representations are composed of four parts: a description of the initial state of the problem, a description of the goal state, a set of allowable operators, and a set of constraints

The real difficulty in solving an ill-defined problem is in clarifying the natureoftheproblem:howbroaditis,whatthegoalis,andsoon