PROBLEM

SOLVING
 Thinking

Formation of a new mental

representation through the
transformation of information
by complex interaction of the
mental attributes of judging,
abstracting, reasoning,
imagining, and problem solving.
 Thinking

Thinking is perhaps one aspect of our mental activity which continues even
when we are asleep.

The difference between what is thinking and what is not thinking is just our
awareness about the particular thinking process.

Hence thinking is a complex mental process which involves manipulation of

information.

Such information is collected through our senses (such as vision, hearing,

smelling etc) from the environment, as well as the information which is stored
in our memory because of our encounter with many events and situations in
the past.
 Problem
solving

Problem solving is part of our daily life. Every day we solve a

number of problems ranging from simple to complex.

Some problems take little time where as some take much time
to solve.

We look for alternative solutions if do not get the right kind

of resources to solve the problem in hand.

In the case of solving any type of problem our thinking

becomes directed and focused and we try to use all the
resources, both internal (mind) and external (support and help
of others) to arrive at the right and appropriate decision.
 Problem
solving

For example if you want to score good

marks in an exam, you study hard, take the
help of teachers, friends, and parents and
finally you score good marks. Thus problem
solving is directed thinking focused towards
dealing with a specific problem.

This thinking has three elements: the

problem, the goal, and the steps to reach
the goal.
 What is
Solving
Problem?

Much of life is spent solving

problems
• There is an initial state
• There is a goal state that
differs from the initial state
• The process of going from the
initial state to the goal state is
not immediately obvious
 Parts of a
Problem

Problem solving involves

attempting to move from the
initial state to the goal state
via the available operators
while observing any
constraints
 Aspects of
Problem
Solving
Plan: a hierarchical
process that
controls the order
Problem space: the in which a sequence
domain of the of operations is to
problem and the be performed
choices the solver
evaluates during
solution
 Importance of problem •Increased confidence. No
solving skills matter where you work or
Obviously, every individual what your profession is,
has problems. For this having the ability to solve
reason, the ability to solve problems will boost your
problems is of great confidence level. Because
importance to individuals. you are sure of your ability
Some of the benefits to solve problems, you don’t
include: spend time worrying about
what you will do. 
•Makes you a stand out. People
are trained to do the usual. They
•Make the impossible have acquired skills and
possible. Knowledge alone is knowledge in what they do.
not the key to solving However, people can hardly solve
problems but rather, problems when they are
complimenting it with unexpected or unprecedented
systematic problem solving ones. If you become a regular
approaches makes the problem solver, you are easily
difference. This helps noticed, recognized, and
individuals overcome appreciated.
challenges.
DO PROBLEM
REPRESENTATION
MATTER?
ISOMORPHIC PROBLEMS

Sometimes, two problems

are isomorphic; that is,
their formal structure is
the same, and only their
content differs.
 !PROBLEM REPRESENTATION DOES MATTER

What is the key reason that some

problems are easier to solve than
Other researchers had
others ?
Consider the various versions of a experimental participants do what
problem known as the Tower of Hanoi. they called the “tower of london”
task, which is very similar to the
In this problem, the problem solver tower of hanoi.
must use a series of moves to transfer
a set of rings (usually three) from the In this task, the goal was to move
first of three pegs to the third of the A set of colored balls across
three pegs, using as few moves as different-sized pegs in order to
possible.
match A target configuration.
As in the tower of hanoi, there
Problems such as the tower of hanoi
challenge problem-solving skills, in part were constraints on which balls
through their demands on working could be moved at A given time.
memory.
The researchers also
gave participants two
tests of working-memory
capacity.

They found that the

measures of
working-memory capacity
accounted for between
25% and 36% of the
variance in how
successful participants
were in solving the
problem.
TYPES OF PROBLEMS

Knowledge-Rich Problems:
Knowledge-Lean Problems:
requires specific knowledge
can be solved (though not
or skill to solve the problem –
always skillfully) by use of
e.g., calculus,
instructions for the task and
computer-programming.
general problem solving skills
– e.g., finding a parking space
in the mall
 ACTIVITY
Problem 1
Anagrams: Rearrange the
letters to form a word. (You
Problem 2
can also construct some
Joining dots:
similar words)
Without lifting your pencil
NAGMARA
from the paper, connect all
BOLMPER
nine dots by drawing four
SLEVO
straight lines.
STGNIH
● ● ●
TOLUSONI
● ● ●
● ● ●
 Two Kinds of
Problems Ill-structured or
Ill-defined
a problem usually
Well-structured or having multiple
well-defined possible solutions;
a problem having a cannot be solved by
clear cut solution; an algorithm
can be solved by an – E.g., writing a hit
algorithm song or building a
– E.g., crossword career
puzzle or
3x = 2 (solve for x)
 WELL-DEFINED PROBLEMS

In psychological research, cognitive

psychologists might ask you to solve less
These problems content-specific kinds of well-structured
had clear paths, problems.
if not necessarily
easy paths, to For example, cognitive psychologists often
have studied a particular type of
their solutions—in well-structured problem: the class of
particular, the move problems, so termed because such
application of a problems require a series of moves to
formula. reach a final goal state.

Algorithms are sequences of operations

(in a problem space) that may be repeated
over and over again and that, in theory,
guarantee the solution to a problem.
Suppose a computer is
provided with a well-defined Unlike computers, however,
problem and an appropriate the human mind does not
hierarchy (program) of specialize in high-speed
operations organized into computations of numerous
procedural algorithms. possible combinations.

The computer can readily The limits of our working

calculate all possible memory prohibit us from
operations and combinations considering more than just a
of operations within the few possible operations at
problem space. It also can one time.
determine the best possible
sequence of steps to take
to solve the problem.
 ILL-STRUCTURED PROBLEMS

The following problems illustrate some of the

difficulties created by the representation of
ill-structured problems. Be sure to try all
problems before you read about their
solutions.

2. You have loose black and brown

1. A woman who lived in a small town
socks in a drawer, mixed in a ratio of
married 20 different men in that same
five black socks for every brown one.
town. All of them are still living, and she
How many socks do you have to take
never divorced any of them. Yet she
out of that drawer to be assured of
broke no laws. How could she do this?
having a pair of the same color?
 ILL-STRUCTURED PROBLEMS

The woman who was involved in multiple marriages is a

minister.
The critical element for solving this problem is to
recognize that the word married may be used to
describe the performance of the marriage ceremony. As for the socks, you need only to
So the minister married the 20 men but did not take out three socks to be assured of
herself become wedded to any of them. To solve this having a pair of the same color. The
problem, you had to redefine your interpretation of ratio information is irrelevant.
the term married. Whether the first two socks you
Others have suggested yet additional possibilities. withdraw match in color, the third
For example, perhaps the woman was an actress and certainly will match at least one of
only married the men in her role as an actress. Or the first two.
perhaps the woman’s multiple marriages were annulled
so she never technically divorced any of the men.
There are no clear, readily available paths to
solution.

By definition, ill-structured problems do not have

well-defined problem spaces.

Problem solvers have difficulty constructing appropriate

mental representations for modeling these problems and
their solutions.
For such problems, much of the difficulty is in
constructing a plan for sequentially following a series of
steps that inch ever closer to their solution.
 WHAT ARE THE
DIFFERENT WAYS
TO SOLVE A
PROBLEM?

THE STRATEGIES
OR THE OPERATORS
 Plan a solution
Implementing
Strategies and
Evaluating Progress

• Generate-test method
(“trial and error”) – would take too long
The problem solver simply generates
alternative courses of action, not
necessarily in a systematic way, and then
notices in turn whether each
course of action will work.
Involves trying a number of different
solutions and ruling out those that do not
work. This approach can be a good option if
you have a very limited number of options
available. If there are many different
choices, you are better off narrowing down
the possible options using another
problem-solving technique before
attempting trial-and-error.
 Plan a solution
Implementing
Strategies and
Evaluating Progress
• Means-end analysis
(a heuristic strategy)
Using this problem-solving strategy does allow
people to simplify complex problems and reduce
the total number of possible solutions to a more
manageable set.
Aims to reduce discrepancy between current
situation and desired goal at multiple
intermediate points
– break problem into sub-goals.
The problem solver analyzes the problem by
viewing the end—the goal being sought —and
then tries to decrease the distance between the
current position in the problem
space and the end goal in that space
.
 In some cases, the solution to a
Plan a solution problem can appear as a sudden
Implementing
insight. According to researchers,
Strategies and
Evaluating Progress insight can occur because you realize
Algorithm that the problem is actually similar
An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure to something that you have dealt
that will always produce a correct solution. with in the past, but in most cases,
A mathematical formula is a good example
the underlying mental processes
of a problem-solving algorithm. While an
that lead to insight happen outside
algorithm guarantees an accurate answer, it
is not always the best approach to of awareness.
problem-solving. This strategy is not
practical for many situations because it can
be so time-consuming. For example, if you
were trying to figure out all of the possible
number combinations to a lock using an
algorithm, it would take a very long time!
 Plan a solution
Implementing
Strategies and
Evaluating Progress Working backward
The problem solver starts
at the end and tries to
work backward from
there.

Working Forward
The problem solver starts
at the beginning and tries
to solve the problem from
the start to the finish.
 HOW TO ACQUIRE
THESE STRATEGIES?
There are at least three
ways to acquire new
In a famous study reported in
problem-solving 1898, Thorndike placed cats in
“puzzle boxes.” The boxes could
operators. We can be opened by various nonobvious
means. For instance, in one box,
acquire new operators by
if the cat hit a latch, the door
discovery, by being told would fall open. The cats, which
were hungry, were rewarded with
about them, or by food when they got out. Initially,
Discover a cat would move about randomly,
observing someone else We might discover how a behaving ineffectively in other
use them. new microwave oven works ways until it happened to hit the
by playing with it and so unlatching device. After
learn a new operator for repeated trials in the same
preparing food. Or a puzzle box, the cats eventually
scientist might discover a arrived at a point where they
new drug that kills bacteria would immediately hit the
and so invent a new operator unlatching device and get out.
for combating infections.
Each of these examples
involves a variety of
reasoning processes.
 Learning by Being Told or
by Example
We can acquire new
operators by being told
about them or by observing Analogy
someone else use them.
Is the process by which a problem
It might seem that the most
efficient way to learn new solver extracts the operators used
problem-solving operators to solve one problem and maps
would be simply to be told
about them, but seeing an them onto a solution for another
example is often at least as problem.
effective as being told what
Sometimes, the analogy process
to do.
can be straightforward. For
instance, a student may take the
structure of an example worked
out in a section of a mathematics
text and map it into the solution
for a problem in the exercises at
 Problem solving tools are determined by
* the requirements of the problem and
* the amount of time to solve the problem.
There are four basic steps in problem solving regardless of size
or complexity:

1. DEFINING THE PROBLEM

2. GENERATING ALTERNATIVES

3. EVALUATING AND SELECTING

ALTERNATIVES

4. IMPLEMENTING SOLUTIONS
 Complex.
When your problem is simple,
the solution is usually obvious,
Step 1 - Understanding the
and you don't need to follow
Problem.
the four steps we outlined
The key to a good problem
above.
statement is ensuring that you
A complex problem is likely to
deal with the real problem – not its
be complex when it is difficult
symptoms.
to understand due to the web
Use tools to help you ask the right
of interrelated issues. On a
questions, and work through the
more complex problem you will
layers of a problem to uncover
typically take a more formal
what's really going on.
approach to solve your
It is also important to ensure that
problem.
you look at the issue from a
variety of perspectives.
THE PROBLEM-SOLVING
CYCLE

Problem 2. Problem
1.
identification definition and
representation
Do we actually
have a problem? What exactly is
our problem?
THE PROBLEM-SOLVING
3. Strategy formulation: How can
CYCLE
we solve the problem?

The strategy may involve analysis—breaking down the

whole of a complex problem into manageable elements.
It may involve the complementary process of
synthesis—putting together various elements to
arrange them into something useful.
Another pair of complementary strategies involves
divergent and convergent thinking. In divergent
thinking, you try to generate a diverse assortment of
possible alternative solutions to a problem. Once you
have considered a variety of possibilities, however, you
must engage in convergent thinking to narrow down the
multiple possibilities to converge on a single best
answer.
 5. Resource allocation
THE PROBLEM-SOLVINGHow much time, effort, money, etc., should
4. Organization I put into this problem?
CYCLE
of information
Studies show that expert problem solvers (and
better students) tend to devote more of their

How do the mental resources to global (big-picture) planning

than do novice problem solvers. Novices (and
various pieces
poorer students) tend to allocate more time to
of information local (detail-oriented) planning than do experts.

in the
For example, better students are more likely than
problem fit poorer students to spend more time in the initial
together? phase, deciding how to solve a problem, and less
time actually solving it. By spending more time in
advance deciding what to do, effective students
are less likely to fall prey to false starts, winding
paths, and all kinds of errors. When a person
allocates more mental resources to planning on a
large scale, he or she is able to save time and
 7. Evaluation
THE PROBLEM-SOLVING
CYCLE Did I solve the problem correctly?
Our emotions can influence how we
6. Monitoring
implement the problem-solving
cycle. In groups with participants

Am I on with high measured emotional

intelligence—that is, the ability to
track as I
identify emotions in others and
proceed to regulate emotions in

solve the oneself—emotional processing can

positively influence problem solving.
problem?
In mathematicians, the ability to
regulate their emotional state
(among other factors) is related to
higher problem-solving ability
 Neuroscience
and Planning
during Problem
Solving Further evidence for the
importance of the
prefrontal regions in
problem solving
can be seen in cases of
A number of studies using a traumatic brain injury. Both
variety of problem solving and planning
neuropsychological methods, ability decline following
including functional traumatic brain injury
magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) and positron
emission tomography (PET),
have highlighted activation
in both the left and right
prefrontal areas are active
during the planning stage of
complex problem solving
 Obstacles and
Aids to Problem
Solving

Of course, problem-solving is not

a flawless process. There are a
number of different obstacles
that can interfere with our
ability to solve a problem quickly
and efficiently. Researchers
have described a number of
these mental obstacles, which
include functional fixedness,
irrelevant information, and
assumptions.
 Mental Sets
and the set
effect
Assumptions

Mental Set
A common problem-solving obstacle is
known as a mental set, which is the
tendency people have to only use Assumptions
solutions that have worked in the past When dealing with a problem,
rather than looking for alternative people often make assumptions
ideas. about the constraints and
A mental set can often work as a obstacles that prevent certain
heuristic, making it a useful solutions.
problem-solving tool. However, mental
sets can also lead to inflexibility,
making it more difficult to find
effective solutions.
 
 Incubation
effect

The best explanation for incubation effects relates them

to set effects.
During initial attempts to solve a problem, people set
themselves to think about the problem in certain ways and
bring to bear certain knowledge structures.
If this initial set is appropriate, they will solve the
problem. If the initial set is not appropriate, however,
they will be stuck throughout the session with
inappropriate procedures.
 Functional Irrelevant or
Fixedness Misleading
Information

Functional Fixedness Irrelevant or Misleading

This term refers to the tendency Information
to view problems only in their When you are trying to solve a
customary manner. Functional problem, it is important to
fixedness prevents people from distinguish between information
fully seeing all of the different that is relevant to the issue and
options that might be available to irrelevant data that can lead to
find a solution. faulty solutions. When a problem is
very complex, the easier it becomes
to focus on misleading or irrelevant
information.
 Positive transfer
Negative and
Occurs when the solution of
Positive an earlier problem makes it
easier to solve a new
Transfer problem. That is, sometimes
Negative transfer the transfer of a mental set
Occurs when solving an can be an aid to problem
earlier problem makes it solving. For instance, one
harder to solve a later one. may transfer early math
Sometimes an early problem skills, such as addition, to
Transfer is any carryover gets an individual on a wrong advanced math problems of
track. For example, police the kinds found in algebra
of knowledge or skills
may have difficulty solving a or physics
from one problem
political crime because
situation to another. such a crime differs so
Transfer can be either much from the kinds of
negative or positive. crime that they typically
deal with.
 Mental
Representation

Problem solvers have difficulty constructing

appropriate mental representations for
modeling these problems and their solutions.
For such problems, much of the difficulty is
in constructing a plan for sequentially
following a series of steps that inch ever
closer to their solution.
 Insight

Insight is a distinctive and sometimes

seemingly sudden understanding of a
problem or of a strategy that aids in solving
the problem.
Often, an insight involves re-conceptualizing a
problem or a strategy in a totally new way.
Insight often involves detecting and combining
relevant old and new information to gain a novel
view of the problem or of its solution.
 Do experts know
Why can experts better strategies?
solve problems in Or do they just
their field more use these
successfully than strategies more
can novices? Is it all talent
often? or just acquired
skill?
Do experts know
more
problem-solving
algorithms,
What do experts
heuristics, and
know that makes
other strategies?
the
problem-solving
process more
effective for them
than for novices in
a field?
Organization
of Knowledge
The role of
attention
Knowledge can interact with understanding in problem
solving as well.
Consider a study investigating how knowledge
interacts with coherence of a text. Investigators
presented children with biology texts. Half the
children in the study had high levels of domain
knowledge about biology and half had low levels.
In addition, half the texts were highly coherent,
meaning that they made clear how the various
concepts in the text related to each other. The other
half of the texts were of low coherence, meaning that
they were more difficult to read because the ideas
did not flow smoothly. Readers then had to do a
variety of problem-solving tasks based on what they
had read.
Organization
of Knowledge
The role of
attention

As the authors predicted, participants

with low domain knowledge performed
better when the texts were highly
coherent. This finding suggests that, in
general, learners do better when they are
presented new material in a coherent way.

These results point out the importance of

attentional processes when people
solve problems. This is particularly
relevant in domains in which they are
expert and in which they therefore may
not feel they have to pay attention.
Elaboration
of Knowledge
The role of
The schemas of experts involve
memory large, highly interconnected units of
knowledge. They are organized
according to underlying structural
similarities among knowledge units.
In contrast, the schemas of novices
involve relatively small and
disconnected units of knowledge. They
are organized according to superficial
similarities.
Experts and novices also differ in how
they classify various problems,
describe the essential nature of
problems, and how they determine and
describe solutions.
Elaboration
of Knowledge
The role of The researchers observed that novice
problem solvers use a visual
memory representation to solve problems that
have an obvious spatial component, such
as geometry problems. However, expert
problem solvers used visual
representations to solve a wide range of
mathematical problems, whether or not
they had an obvious spatial component.
The ability to apply a visual
representation to a variety of problems
allows greater flexibility and an
increased likelihood that a solution will be
found.
 How to improve your
problem solving skills
How to fix a project
that’s running behind
schedule?

1. Focus on the Solution, Not the Problem

Neuroscientists have proven that your brain
cannot find solutions if you focus on the problem.
This is because when you focus on the problem,
you’re effectively feeding ‘negativity,’ which in
turn activates negative emotions in the brain.
These emotions block potential solutions.
That doesn’t mean to ‘ignore the problem,’
instead, try to remain calm. It helps to first,
acknowledge the problem; and then, move your
focus to a solution-oriented mindset where you
keep fixed on what the ‘answer’ could be, rather
than lingering on ‘what went wrong’ and ‘who’s
fault it is’.
 If the problem is “always late to work”…
How to improve your Why am I late to work?
problem solving skills I always click the snooze button and just want to go
How to fix a project on sleeping.
that’s running behind Why do I want to go on sleeping?
schedule? I feel so tired in the morning.
Why do I feel tired in the morning?
I slept late the night before, that’s why.
2. Adapt 5 Whys to Clearly Define Why did I sleep late?
the Problem I wasn’t sleepy after drinking coffee, and I just
5 whys is a problem solving framework kept scrolling my Facebook feed and somehow I
to help you get to the root of a couldn’t stop.
problem. Why did I drink coffee?
By repeatedly asking the question Because I was too sleepy at work in the afternoon,
“why” on a problem, you can dig into not having enough sleep the night before.
the root cause of a problem, and that’s
how you can find the best solution to
tackle the root problem once and for
all. And it can go deeper than just
asking why for five times.
For example:
 How to improve your
problem solving skills 4. List out as Many Solutions as
How to fix a project Possible
that’s running behind Try to come up with ‘ALL POSSIBLE
schedule? SOLUTIONS’ – even if they seem
ridiculous at first. It’s important you
keep an open mind to boost creative
3. Simplify Things thinking, which can trigger potential
As human beings, we have a solutions.
tendency to make things more ‘No idea is a bad idea’ and this aids
complicated than they need to be! creative thinking in brainstorms and
Try simplifying your problem by other problem-solving techniques.
generalizing it. Whatever you do, do not ridicule
Remove all the details and go back yourself for coming up with ‘stupid
to the basics. Try looking for a solutions’ as it’s often the crazy ideas
really easy, obvious solution – you that trigger other more viable
might be surprised at the results! solutions.
And we all know that it’s often the
simple things that are the most
productive.
 How to improve your
problem solving 6. Use Language That Creates
skills? Possibility
Lead your thinking with phrases
like ‘what if…’ and ‘imagine
if…’ These terms open up our brains
5. Think Laterally to think creatively and encourage
Change the ‘direction’ of your solutions.
thoughts by thinking laterally. Pay Avoid closed, negative language such
attention to the saying, as ‘I don’t think…’ or ‘But this is not
Try to change your approach and look right…’.
at things in a new way. You can try You’ll be able to solve problems in
flipping your objective around and your role better as you grow in your
looking for a solution that is the industry-specific knowledge. But
polar opposite! there are also a few universal
Even if it feels silly, a fresh and problem-solving skills we all need:
unique approach usually stimulates a
fresh solution.
 How to improve your
problem solving
skills?

7. Keep an “Idea Journal” with

You
You’ll be able to quickly record
important thoughts, write down
personal experiences, make
sketches, and explore ideas when
you keep an “Idea Journal” with you
at all times. Working out problems
by sorting your thoughts on paper
and then viewing them more
objectively is easier than having all
your thoughts stuck in your head
(and will provide better
problem-solving strategies).
 How to improve your
problem solving
skills?

8. Use Mind Maps to Help Visualize the Problem

Mind Maps, a visual snapshot of a problem and its possible solutions, can
help focus the mind, stimulate the brain, increase the capacity for
creative thinking, and generate more ideas for solutions.
Make a Mind Map by drawing your problem as the central idea. Add
“main branches” consisting of all the reasons for the problem. Use
“sub-branches” to explore further details.
Next, make a separate Mind Map of all possible solutions to the central
problem. Add “main branches” showing all the ways that your problem
can be solved, such as colleagues that can help, techniques you can apply,
and other resources you can use.
Add “sub-branches” to further explore the details. Make a final branch
with the most suitable solution for the main problem. Use
“sub-branches” for details.
Through this exercise, you should be able to see which “branch” or
option is the most practical, time-saving, and cost-effective problem
solving method.
 3. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
More than any other sleeping or awake
How to improve your state, Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
problem solving sleep directly enhances creative
skills? processing in the brain. REM sleep
helps “stimulate associative networks,
allowing the brain to make new and
useful associations between unrelated
9. Create “Psychological Distance” ideas” and are “not due to selective
What is psychological distance? memory enhancements” such as
It’s “anything that we do not experience as memory consolidation, which occurs
occurring now, here, and to ourselves.” Some when awake.
examples include taking another person’s
perspective or thinking of the problem as
unlikely.
Scientists have shown that by increasing the
mental distance between us and our problem,
we’ll have an increase in creative solutions. This
happens because thinking more abstractly helps
us form unexpected connections between
seemingly unrelated concepts, thus allowing our
minds to increase its problem-solving capacity.
 
How to improve your
problem solving
skills?

6. Participate in Yoga
The powerful combination of body
awareness, breathing, and meditation
that is required during yoga practice
has been shown to significantly raise
cognitive test scores. Other
results from a University of Illinois
study include shorter reaction times,
more accuracy, and increased
attention.
 CREATIVITY:
THINKING OUT
OF THE BOX
You might have wondered at
times how some one for the
first time, thought of acts like
planting a seed, or devising a
wheel, or decorating the walls
of caves with drawings, etc.
There are countless others
whose creativity has led to the
present day scientific and
technological progress that we
now enjoy. Music, painting,
poetry, and other forms of art
that give us pleasure and joy,
are all products of creative
thinking.
Everyone has
the potential Creative thinking can be applied in almost any
to be area of human activity at different levels.
creative. It could be reflected in activities like
- writing,
- teaching,
- cooking,
- enacting roles,
- story telling,
- conversation, dialogues,
- asking questions,
- playing games,
- trying to solve day-to-day problems,
- organizing activities,
- helping others
- resolve conflicts, and so on.
This concept of ‘Everyday Creativity’, which is
reflected in one’s way of perceiving thinking
and problem solving, is different from the
‘special talent creativity’
seen in outstanding creative achievements.
 Convergent thinking refers to
Nature of thinking that is required to solve
Creative problems which have only one
Thinking correct answer.
The mind converges to the correct
solution. To illustrate, look at the
question given below. It is based on
Creative thinking is a number series, where you have to
distinguished from other types find the next number. Only one
of thinking by the fact that it right answer is expected.
involves the production of novel Q. 3,6,9….. what will come next?
Ans. 12.
and original ideas or solutions
to problems.
Creative thinking thus refers to
originality and uniqueness of
ideas or solutions that did not
previously exist.
Everyone has
the potential Creative thinking can be applied in almost any
to be area of human activity at different levels.
creative. It could be reflected in activities like
- writing,
- teaching,
- cooking,
- enacting roles,
- story telling,
- conversation, dialogues,
- asking questions,
- playing games,
- trying to solve day-to-day problems,
- organizing activities,
- helping others
- resolve conflicts, and so on.
This concept of ‘Everyday Creativity’, which is
reflected in one’s way of perceiving thinking
and problem solving, is different from the
‘special talent creativity’
seen in outstanding creative achievements.
Now you try to think of certain
questions for which there is no one
right answer but many answers. A few
such questions are given below: Answers to the above questions
• What improvements will you suggest require divergent thinking
in a chair so that it becomes more which is an open-ended thinking
comfortable and aesthetically where the individual can think
pleasing? of different answers to the
• What will happen if examinations questions or problems in terms
are abolished in schools? of her/his experiences. Such
kind of thinking helps in
producing novel and original
ideas.
 Divergent
thinking

Abilities generally
include fluency,
flexibility,
originality, and
elaboration.
 Divergent
thinking
Flexibility
Indicates variety in
thinking. It may be
thinking of different
uses of an object, or
Fluency different
Is the ability to interpretation of a
produce many ideas picture, story or
for a given task or a different ways of
problem.
solving a problem.
The more ideas a
In case of uses of a
person produces, the
paper cup, for
higher his fluency
example, one may
ability.
give an idea to use it
For example, more as a container or to
the number of uses of draw a circle, etc.
a paper cup, more
would be the fluency.
 Divergent
thinking

Elaboration
Originality
Is the ability to produce Is the ability that
ideas that are rare or enables a person
to go into details Divergent thinking abilities facilitate
unusual by seeing new
generation of a variety of ideas which
relationships, combining and workout
may not seem to be related. For
old ideas with new ones, implications of new example,
looking at things from ideas. what are the common ideas for
different perspectives
enhancing food production?
etc. Research has shown
The likely answers would be related to
that fluency and
quality of seeds, fertilizers, irrigation,
flexibility are the
and so on. If someone thinks of
necessary conditions for
cultivation in a desert for extracting
originality. The more
protein from weeds, it would be a
and varied ideas one
remote idea. The association here is
produces, the greater
between ‘food production’ and ‘desert’
the likelihood of original
or ‘weeds’.
ideas.
 Process of
Creative Thinking

1. Preparation
This is the first stage in which the
Research has thinker formulates the problem
made it clear and collects facts and materials
necessary for the solution. He/she
that thinking of finds that the problem cannot be
new and unusual solved after days, weeks, or months
ideas involve of concentrated effort.
Unable to solve the problem the
more than a flash thinker deliberately or involuntarily
of insight. There turns away from the problem,
are stages initiating stage two i.e. incubation. At
this stage of problem solving, it is
before and after important to overcome negative
the new ideas consequences of mental set and
any kind of mental set or bias.
come.
 Process of
Creative Thinking

2. Incubation 3. Illumination
This is a stage of no solution In this stage a potential
and involves a number of solution to the problem seems
emotional and cognitive to be realized
complexities. However, the as if from nowhere. It is
negative effects of mental set, about having the insight
about the possible solution.
functional fixedness, and other
Illumination occurs with its
ideas that interfere with the “aha” experience when a
solution tend to fade. Perhaps, sudden idea or solution
fatigue and too much of appears into consciousness.
concern with the problem also
mount up during this period.
Further, the unconscious
thought processes involved in
creative thinking are at work
during this stage.
 Process of
Creative Thinking

5. Revision
4. Evaluation Revision is required in the
In this stage the obtained case a solution which is not
solution is verified or tested to satisfactory.
see if it works. Frequently, the
insight may turn out to be
unsatisfactory, and may need
some modification in the
strategy of approaching the
problem.
 Process of
Creative Thinking

Research has also shown that all of

us can make better use of our
abilities for creative thinking
through practice and training. We
can become more imaginative,
flexible, and original in solving
day-to-day problems creatively and
effectively. Development of
creative thinking is important for
one’s personal growth and
fulfilment.