| Records |
| Author |
Quesada, J; Kintsch, W.; Gomez, E. |
| Title |
Complex problem-solving: a field in search of a definition? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2005 |
Publication |
Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Theor Issues Ergon Sci |
| Volume |
6 |
Issue |
1 |
Pages |
5-33 |
| Keywords |
Problem solving; Dynamic decision making; Micro-worlds; Expertise |
Abstract  |
Complex problem-solving (CPS) is as an area of cognitive science that has received a good amount of attention, but theories in the field have not progressed accordingly. The reasons could be the lack of good definitions and classifications of the tasks (taxonomies). Although complexity is a term used pervasively in psychology and is operationalized in different ways, there are no psychological theories of complexity. The definition of problem-solving has been changed in the past to reflect the varied interests of the researchers and has lost its initial concreteness. These two facts together make it difficult to define CPS or make clear if CPS should reuse the theory and methods of classical problem-solving or on the contrary should build a theoretical structure starting from scratch. A taxonomy is offered of tasks using both formal features and psychological features that are theory-independent that could help compare the CPS tasks used in the literature. The adequateness is also reviewed of the most extended definitions of CPS and conclude that they are in serious need of review, since they cover tasks that are not considered problem-solving by their own authors or are not complex, but ignore others that should clearly be included. |
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Taylor and Francis Ltd |
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no |
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refbase @ user @ |
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604 |
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| Author |
Meehan, C.L.; Mench, J.A. |
| Title |
The challenge of challenge: Can problem solving opportunities enhance animal welfare? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. |
| Volume |
102 |
Issue |
3-4 |
Pages |
246-261 |
| Keywords |
Cognition; Environmental enrichment; Challenge; Eustress; Problem solving; Intrinsic motivation |
| Abstract |
Cognitive mechanisms are an important part of the organization of the behavior systems of animals. In the wild, animals regularly face problems that they must overcome in order to survive and thrive. Solving such problems often requires animals to process, store, retrieve, and act upon information from the environment--in other words, to use their cognitive skills. For example, animals may have to use navigational, tool-making or cooperative social skills in order to procure their food. However, many enrichment programs for captive animals do not include the integration of these types of cognitive challenges. Thus, foraging enrichments typically are designed to facilitate the physical expression of feeding behaviors such as food-searching and food consumption, but not to facilitate complex problem solving behaviors related to food acquisition. Challenging animals by presenting them with problems is almost certainly a source of frustration and stress. However, we suggest here that this is an important, and even necessary, feature of an enrichment program, as long as animals also possess the skills and resources to effectively solve the problems with which they are presented. We discuss this with reference to theories about the emotional consequences of coping with challenge, the association between lack of challenge and the development of abnormal behavior, and the benefits of stress (arousal) in facilitating learning and memory of relevant skills. Much remains to be done to provide empirical support for these theories. However, they do point the way to a practical approach to improving animal welfare--to design enrichments to facilitate the cognitive mechanisms which underlie the performance of complex behaviors that cannot be performed due to the restrictions inherent to the captive environment. |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2890 |
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| Author |
Griffin, A.S.; Guez, D. |
| Title |
Innovation and problem solving: A review of common mechanisms |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2014 |
Publication |
Behavioural Processes |
Abbreviated Journal |
Behav. Process. |
| Volume |
109 |
Issue |
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Pages |
121-134 |
| Keywords |
Behavioural flexibility; Cognition; Innovation; Problem solving |
| Abstract |
Behavioural innovations have become central to our thinking about how animals adjust to changing environments. It is now well established that animals vary in their ability to innovate, but understanding why remains a challenge. This is because innovations are rare, so studying innovation requires alternative experimental assays that create opportunities for animals to express their ability to invent new behaviours, or use pre-existing ones in new contexts. Problem solving of extractive foraging tasks has been put forward as a suitable experimental assay. We review the rapidly expanding literature on problem solving of extractive foraging tasks in order to better understand to what extent the processes underpinning problem solving, and the factors influencing problem solving, are in line with those predicted, and found, to underpin and influence innovation in the wild. Our aim is to determine whether problem solving can be used as an experimental proxy of innovation. We find that in most respects, problem solving is determined by the same underpinning mechanisms, and is influenced by the same factors, as those predicted to underpin, and to influence, innovation. We conclude that problem solving is a valid experimental assay for studying innovation, propose a conceptual model of problem solving in which motor diversity plays a more central role than has been considered to date, and provide recommendations for future research using problem solving to investigate innovation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cognition in the wild. |
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0376-6357 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6556 |
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| Author |
Rilling, M.E.; Neiworth, J.J. |
| Title |
How animals use images |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1991 |
Publication |
Science Progress |
Abbreviated Journal |
Sci Prog |
| Volume |
75 |
Issue |
298 Pt 3-4 |
Pages |
439-452 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Association Learning; Columbidae; *Concept Formation; *Imagination; *Mental Recall; Motion Perception; Problem Solving; *Thinking; *Visual Perception |
| Abstract |
Animal cognition is a field within experimental psychology in which cognitive processes formerly studied exclusively with people have been demonstrated in animals. Evidence for imagery in the pigeon emerges from the experiments described here. The pigeon's task was to discriminate, by pecking the appropriate choice key, between a clock hand presented on a video screen that rotated clockwise with constant velocity from a clock hand that violated constant velocity. Imagery was defined by trials on which the line rotated from 12.00 o'clock to 3.00 o'clock, then disappeared during a delay, and reappeared at a final stop location beyond 3.00 o'clock. After acquisition of a discrimination with final stop locations at 3.00 o'clock and 6.00 o'clock, the evidence for imagery was the accurate responding of the pigeons to novel locations at 4.00 o'clock and 7.00 o'clock. Pigeons display evidence of imagery by transforming a representation of movement that includes a series of intermediate steps which accurately represent the location of a moving stimulus after it disappears. |
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Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824 |
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English |
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0036-8504 |
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| Notes |
PMID:1842858 |
Approved |
no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
2831 |
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| Author |
Neuringer, A. |
| Title |
Reinforced variability in animals and people: implications for adaptive action |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
The American Psychologist |
Abbreviated Journal |
Am Psychol |
| Volume |
59 |
Issue |
9 |
Pages |
891-906 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Behavior, Animal; *Choice Behavior; Conditioning, Operant; Creativeness; Discrimination (Psychology); Humans; Memory; Problem Solving; *Reinforcement (Psychology) |
| Abstract |
Although reinforcement often leads to repetitive, even stereotyped responding, that is not a necessary outcome. When it depends on variations, reinforcement results in responding that is diverse, novel, indeed unpredictable, with distributions sometimes approaching those of a random process. This article reviews evidence for the powerful and precise control by reinforcement over behavioral variability, evidence obtained from human and animal-model studies, and implications of such control. For example, reinforcement of variability facilitates learning of complex new responses, aids problem solving, and may contribute to creativity. Depression and autism are characterized by abnormally repetitive behaviors, but individuals afflicted with such psychopathologies can learn to vary their behaviors when reinforced for so doing. And reinforced variability may help to solve a basic puzzle concerning the nature of voluntary action. |
| Address |
Department of Psychology, Reed College, Portland, OR 97202, USA. allen.neuringer@reed.edu |
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English |
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0003-066X |
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PMID:15584823 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4106 |
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| Author |
Horowitz, A.C. |
| Title |
Do humans ape? Or do apes human? Imitation and intention in humans (Homo sapiens) and other animals |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2003 |
Publication |
Journal of comparative psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
| Volume |
117 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
325-336 |
| Keywords |
Adolescent; Adult; Animals; *Appetitive Behavior; Attention; Child, Preschool; Concept Formation; Female; Humans; *Imitative Behavior; Male; Motivation; Pan troglodytes/*psychology; *Problem Solving; *Psychomotor Performance; Reaction Time; Species Specificity |
| Abstract |
A. Whiten, D. M. Custance, J.-C. Gomez, P. Teixidor, and K. A. Bard (1996) tested chimpanzees' (Pan troglodytes) and human children's (Homo sapiens) skills at imitation with a 2-action test on an “artificial fruit.” Chimpanzees imitated to a restricted degree; children were more thoroughly imitative. Such results prompted some to assert that the difference in imitation indicates a difference in the subjects' understanding of the intentions of the demonstrator (M. Tomasello, 1996). In this experiment, 37 adult human subjects were tested with the artificial fruit. Far from being perfect imitators, the adults were less imitative than the children. These results cast doubt on the inference from imitative performance to an ability to understand others' intentions. The results also demonstrate how any test of imitation requires a control group and attention to the level of behavioral analysis. |
| Address |
Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. ahorowitz@crl.ucsd.edu |
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Washington, D.C. : 1983 |
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English |
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0735-7036 |
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PMID:14498809 |
Approved |
yes |
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refbase @ user @ |
Serial |
736 |
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| Author |
Evans, T.A.; Westergaard, G.C. |
| Title |
Discrimination of functionally appropriate and inappropriate throwing tools by captive tufted capuchins (Cebus apella) |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2004 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
| Volume |
7 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
255-262 |
| Keywords |
Animals; Appetitive Behavior; Cebus/*psychology; Choice Behavior; *Concept Formation; *Discrimination Learning; Female; Male; *Problem Solving; *Psychomotor Performance; Recognition (Psychology) |
| Abstract |
A tool-throwing task was used to test whether capuchin monkeys understand the difference between functionally appropriate and functionally inappropriate tools. A group of monkeys was trained to obtain a sticky treat from a container outside their enclosure using a projectile attached to one end of an anchored line. Subsequently, these monkeys were given choice tests between functional and nonfunctional versions of tools used in training. A different feature of the tool was varied between alternatives in each choice test. The monkeys chose to use functional tools significantly more often than nonfunctional tools in early exposures to each choice test. A second experiment tested whether these subjects, as well as a second group of minimally trained participants, could distinguish between functional and nonfunctional tools that appeared different from those used in training. A new set of design features was varied between tools in these choice tests. All participants continued to choose functional tools significantly more often than nonfunctional tools, regardless of their tool-throwing experience or the novel appearance of the tools. These results suggest that capuchin monkeys, like chimpanzees studied in similar experiments, are sensitive to a variety of functionally relevant tool features. |
| Address |
Alpha Genesis Inc., 95 Castle Hall Road, P.O. Box 557, Yemassee, SC 29945, USA. teprimate@islc.net |
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English |
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1435-9448 |
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PMID:15138849 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2523 |
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| Author |
Sturz, B.R.; Bodily, K.D.; Katz, J.S. |
| Title |
Evidence against integration of spatial maps in humans |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2006 |
Publication |
Animal Cognition |
Abbreviated Journal |
Anim. Cogn. |
| Volume |
9 |
Issue |
3 |
Pages |
207-217 |
| Keywords |
Adult; *Association Learning; Computer Graphics; Humans; Male; *Orientation; *Problem Solving; Reference Values; *Space Perception; *Spatial Behavior; User-Computer Interface |
| Abstract |
A dynamic 3-D virtual environment was constructed for humans as an open-field analogue of Blaisdell and Cook's (2005) pigeon foraging task to determine if humans, like pigeons, were capable of integrating separate spatial maps. Participants used keyboard keys and a mouse to search for a hidden goal in a 4x4 grid of raised cups. During Phase 1 training, a goal was consistently located between two landmarks (Map 1: blue T and red L). During Phase 2 training, a goal was consistently located down and left of a single landmark (Map 2: blue T). Transfer trials were then conducted in which participants were required to make choices in the presence of the red L alone. Cup choices during transfer assessed participants' strategies: association (from Map 1), generalization (from Map 2), or integration (combining Map 1 and 2). During transfer, cup choices increased to a location which suggested an integration strategy and was consistent with results obtained with pigeons. However, additional analyses of the human data suggested participants initially used a generalization strategy followed by a progressive shift in search behavior away from the red L. This shift in search behavior during transfer was responsible for the changes in cup choices across transfer trials and was confirmed by a control condition. These new analyses offer an alternative explanation to the spatial integration account proposed for pigeons. |
| Address |
Department of Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. sturzbr@auburn.edu |
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English |
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1435-9448 |
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| Notes |
PMID:16767470 |
Approved |
no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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2464 |
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| Author |
Birch, H.G. |
| Title |
The relation of previous experience to insightful problem-solving |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1945 |
Publication |
Journal of Comparative Psychology |
Abbreviated Journal |
J Comp Psychol |
| Volume |
38 |
Issue |
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Pages |
367-383 |
| Keywords |
Humans; *Problem Solving; *Psychology, Comparative; *PSYCHOLOGY/comparative |
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0021-9940 |
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PMID:21010765 |
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no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6554 |
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| Author |
Heinrich, B.; Bugnyar, T. |
| Title |
Just how smart are ravens? |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2007 |
Publication |
Scientific American |
Abbreviated Journal |
Sci Am |
| Volume |
296 |
Issue |
4 |
Pages |
64-71 |
| Keywords |
Animals; *Behavior, Animal; Crows/*physiology; Environment; *Intelligence; Predatory Behavior; Problem Solving; Thinking |
| Abstract |
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University of Vermont, USA |
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English |
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0036-8733 |
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PMID:17479632 |
Approved |
no |
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Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
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4101 |
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