Tag: problem-solving skills

The differences between expert and novice performance cannot be explained by innate differences in basic speed and capacity. They are attributable primarily to complex, highly specialized mechanisms that allow experts to perform at superior levels in representative domain-specific tasks. In fact, the only basic innate difference that has been conclusively shown to differentiate expert and…

Recent reviews (Ericsson, 1996, 1998b, 2001; Ericsson & Lehmann, 1996) dispel the common belief that “talented” expert performers attain very high levels of performance virtually automatically through cumulative domain-related experience. Instead, empirical evidence strongly implies that even the most “talented” individuals in a domain must spend over ten years actively engaging in particular practice activities…

When we approach a new situation, our knowledge based on prior experiences will influence our ability to define and represent a problem correctly. In fact, we may fail to notice the existence of a problem if it runs counter to our strongly held expectations. To the extent that an individual has misleading expectations or schemas…

Problem definition is affected by social context in any domain. Individuals can become unable to redefine problems or evaluate progress on current problems due to the attitudes of the group. For example, in an office environment, individuals may be familiar with a particular computer application for word processing. However, the program eventually may become outdated…

There are two classes of problems: those that are considered well defined and others that are considered ill defined. Well-defined problems are those problems whose goals, path to solution, and obstacles to solution are clear based on the information given. For example, the problem of how to calculate the price of a sale item is…