10.2 Creative Problem-Solving Strategies

When you are presented with a problem, whether a complex mathematical problem or a broken printer, how do you solve it? Before finding a solution to the problem, the problem must first be identified or found. After that, one of many problem-solving strategies can be applied, hopefully resulting in a solution.

Solving problems often requires abstract thinking and creativity to find novel solutions. Processes relating to problem-solving include problem–finding, generating alternative strategies, implementation of attempted solutions, and verification of the selected solution.

Problem-finding can be particularly problematic. “In the dim background of our mind we know what we ought to be doing but somehow we cannot start (William James, 1890).”

A problem-solving strategy is a plan of action used to overcome obstacles and find a solution to achieve one’s goals. Different strategies have different action plans associated with them; see the table below for examples.

Problem-Solving Strategies

“Trial and Error” is a well-known strategy. The old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” describes trial and error.

In terms of your broken printer, you could try checking the ink levels, and if that doesn’t work, you could check to make sure the paper tray isn’t jammed. Or maybe the printer isn’t actually connected to your laptop. When using trial and error, you would continue to try different solutions until you solved your problem. Although trial and error is not typically one of the most time-efficient and not typically an effective strategy, it is a commonly used one (by non-experts).

Another type of strategy is an algorithm. An algorithm is a problem-solving formula that provides you with step-by-step instructions used to achieve a desired outcome (Sternberg & Ben-Zeev, 2001; Kahneman, 2011). You can think of an algorithm as a recipe with highly detailed instructions that produce the same result every time they are performed. (In other words, a good algorithm guarantees a solution – at least for a well-defined problem.)

Algorithms are used frequently in our everyday lives. When you run a search on the Internet, search engines like Google use algorithms to decide which entries will appear first in your list of results. Facebook also uses algorithms to decide which posts to display on your newsfeed.

A heuristic is yet another type of problem solving strategy. While an algorithm must be followed exactly to produce a correct result, a heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts (or “rules of thumb”) that are used to solve problems. Such rules can save time and energy when making a decision, but are not always the best method for making a rational decision. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations.