Access and Use of Previous Solutions in a Problem Solving Situation

Abstract

An important component of problem solving is the ability to make use of previous examples. This requires noticing the relevance between the current and previous problems. We examine the role of the superficial and structural relations among problems and the remindings that these similarities elicit in a problem solving situation. Students learned to program in an electronic book environment in which they were able to store and later retrieve solved problems. Their use of previous solutions suggests that novices are indeed sensitive to structural similarities and can use retrieved solutions in new problem situations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA224717

Entities

People

  • Brian J. Reiser
  • Jeremiah M. Faries

Organizations

  • Princeton University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Applied Psychology
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cognitive Science
  • Computer Languages
  • Computer Programming
  • Computers
  • Environment
  • Language
  • Linguistics
  • Lisp Programming Language
  • Programming Languages
  • Psychology
  • Social Sciences
  • Students

Readers

  • Artificial Intelligence

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics