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Expertise in Problem Solving.
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1981
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Artificial IntelligenceLess Successful NovicesEducationCognitionConceptual Knowledge AcquisitionProblem DiscoverySocial SciencesPsychologyMathematics EducationProblem Solving EnvironmentCognitive DevelopmentCognitive AnalysisLearning ProblemKnowledge RepresentationCognitive ScienceKnowledge AcquisitionCognitive StudyLearning SciencesPhysics ProblemExperimental PsychologyReasoningProblem-based LearningKnowledge ReasoningProblem SolvingEpistemologyKnowledge ManagementProfessional Development
Recent research shows that domain‑specific knowledge quality is the primary determinant of expertise, prompting a shift from general skill focus to knowledge‑base studies, as illustrated by empirical findings and theoretical models in physics problem solving. The authors conduct eight empirical studies to investigate how differences in knowledge bases affect problem‑solving success. They carried out eight empirical studies examining expert and novice knowledge bases in physics problem solving. The studies demonstrate that expert–novice differences in knowledge bases drive problem‑solving success, with novices focusing on surface features, lacking declarative physics knowledge and timing cues, and struggling to make key inferences, highlighting the challenges of using problem‑solving protocols to reveal these differences. Author: (Author).
Abstract : It has become increasingly clear in recent years that the quality of domain-specific knowledge is the main determinant of expertise in that domain. This paper begins with an examination of the shift from consideration of general, domain-independent skills and procedures, in both cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence, to the study of the knowledge base. Next, the empirical findings and theoretical models of other researchers in physics problem solving are detailed and summarized. Then our own work is presented, consisting of eight empirical studies. These studies show, in general, the importance of differences in the knowledge bases of experts and novices to their problem solving success. More specifically, they show that it is difficult to use protocols of problem solving episodes to illuminate the differences in the knowledge bases of experts and novices, that experts and novices perceive the problem themselves differently, i.e., novices respond to the surface features of a problem while experts respond to its deep structure, that less successful novices, at least, have deficiencies in their declarative knowledge of physics, that novices tend to lack knowledge of when to use certain physics knowledge, and that deficiencies in knowledge appear to prevent novices at times from making key inferences necessary for solving problems. Finally, these results and their implications for theories of intelligence, are discussed. (Author)