Chapter 6: Thinking & Problem Solving Processes

Thinking & Problem Solving Processes begins by contrasting early animal research, such as Edward Thorndike’s trial-and-error "Law of Effect" and Wolfgang Kohler’s Gestalt-based "insight" learning, eventually reconciling these views through Harry Harlow’s concept of learning sets. Human cognition is examined through classic experiments like Karl Duncker’s radiation problem and Norman Maier’s two-string task, which highlight how individuals reformulate challenges and can be hindered by functional fixedness or rigid mental sets. The text delves into three primary theoretical frameworks: the Gestalt approach emphasizing perceptual reorganization, the Associative theory focusing on reinforcement and response hierarchies, and the Information Processing model, which likens human thought to computer-based data scanning and feedback loops. A significant portion of the chapter is dedicated to the study of creativity and divergent thinking, outlining Graham Wallas’s four-stage creative process—preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification—while comparing convergent and divergent cognitive styles. The discussion transitions into the development of concepts, distinguishing between Jerome Bruner’s work on concept attainment strategies (focusing versus scanning) and Jean Piaget’s influential theory of child concept formation. Piaget’s model details a progression through sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages, emphasizing the critical acquisition of conservation—the understanding that physical properties remain constant despite changes in appearance. Finally, the chapter addresses methodologies for measuring personal meaning and cognitive structures, specifically the Osgood Semantic Differential, which evaluates concepts based on potency and activity, and George Kelly’s Repertory Grid technique, which uses a triadic method to map an individual’s unique personal construct system.