On the Benefit of a Phenomenological Revision of Problem Solving

Abstract

Problem solving has been empirical psychology’s concern for half a century. Cognitive science’s work on this field has been stimulated especially by the computational theory of mind. As a result, most experimental research originates from a mechanistic approach that disregards genuine experience. On the occasion of a review of problem solving’s foundation, a phenomenological description offers fruitful perspectives. Yet, the mechanistic paradigm is currently dominant throughout problem solving’s established patterns of description. The review starts with a critical historical analysis of the state of problem solving in academic psychology. Subsequently, a phenomenological, contrastive approach is proposed. It questions the notion of problems as “goal-driven” behavior by making vivid experience the subject of discussion. As its given compounds, solvability, oppressiveness, and the problem’s horizon are discussed. Ultimately, an experience-based multimodal notion of the problem is elaborated that relates problems to challenges, fatalities and opportunities as different types of situations.

The Problem of the Task. Pseudo-Interactivity as an Experimental Paradigm of Phenomenological Psychology

“…Pseudo-interactivity is an experimental paradigm that encompasses behavioral studies, e.g., based on computer simulations. Its main purpose is the investigation of experiential differences between phenomenologically distinct types of situations, such as problems, challenges, and fatalities (see Wendt, 2017). Pseudo-interactivity allows for quantitative and qualitative measurements and it is not restrictive on the specific design.…”

“…In order to manifest these situational modes (Wendt, 2017) in the experimental design, the core element of pseudointeractive experimentation is semantic complexity instead of algorithmic complexity. While CPS experiments treat their parameters with a certain reluctance in order to cater to the common sense of the experimental subjects, pseudo-interactive experiments allow for extraordinary experimental behavior since it does not conservatively replicate the constraints of a plausible scenario.…”

“…In the current discourse about first-person science of consciousness, this contribution to psychology is often underrated. Still, its relevance is more frequently recognized than the potential of phenomenologically revised problem-solving research (see Wendt, 2017). While introspection might have been the most important methodological topic for psychology of thought in the controversial delimitation from elementarist, functionalist, or behaviorist psychology, the discourse within the approach itself also considered more specific subjects, such as the nature of the task.…”

Is There a Problem in the Laboratory?

“…Moreover, its explanations are functionalist, such as the infamous idea of the problem as a relation between an initial and a goal state. Ultimately, problem finding, problem classification, problem space, and problem quality (Wendt, 2017a) are the most pertinent research topics. Upon examination of some recent psychological contributions to this tradition of problem-solving research, it can be shown nonetheless that fundamental concerns still have not been overcome and resolved, despite critical advances in the last decades.…”

“…For psychology as an empirical discipline, which has sought to investigate problem-solving in the tradition of the classical “human problem solving” approach by Newell and Simon (1972), there does not seem to be an immediate conflict from the ambivalence either. Firstly, the theoretical construct of problem-solving can be determined by a functionalist formula, such as Newell’s and Simon’s idea of the “task environment”: problem-solving here refers to the transformation of an initial state into a goal state by overcoming barriers (for a detailed discussion of the cognitivist paradigm of problem-solving research, see Wendt, 2017a). Secondly, this operationalization is investigated on the basis of empirical data.…”