success with a Let us look at the problem of organising a play in school on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. Problem solving would involve the following sequence. Mental operation Nature of problem . Identify the problem A week is left for teachers’ day and you are given the task of organising a play.
. Represent the problem Organising a play would involve identification of an appropriate theme, screening of actors, actresses, arranging money, etc. . Plan the solution: Search and survey various available themes for Set sub-goals a play, and consult teachers and friends who have the expertise.
The play to be decided, based on such considerations as cost, duration, suitability for the occasion, etc. . Evaluate all solutions (plays) Collect all the information/stage rehearsal. .
Select one solution and execute it Compare and verify the various options to get the best solution (the play). . Evaluate the outcome If the play (solution) is appreciated, think about the steps you have followed for future reference for yourself as well as for your friends. .
Rethink and redefine problems After this special occasion you can still think about and solutions ways to plan a better play in future. TTTTTable able able able able . Mental Operations Mental Operations Mental Operations Mental Operations Mental Operations IIIIInvolved in Solving a P nvolved in Solving a P nvolved in Solving a P nvolved in Solving a P nvolved in Solving a Problem roblem roblem roblem roblem experienced this while solving mathematical problems. After completing a couple of questions, you form an idea of the steps that are required to solve these questions and subsequently you go on following the same steps, until a point where you fail.
At this point you may experience difficulty in avoiding the already used steps. Those steps would interfere in your thought for new strategies. However, in day-to-day activities we often rely on past experiences with similar or related problems. Like mental set, functional fixedness in problem solving occurs when people fail to solve a problem because they are fixed on a thing’s usual function.