Improvement of skills for solving‐ ill‐defined problems

Abstract

Abstract To develop effective programs for training people to handle commonly encountered problems, it is necessary to recognize that such problems are typically. ill defined and require additional goal specification. Most current programs have developed from information processing or from Deweyan theories of problem solving. However, neither theory has methods for dealing with ill‐defined problems. Current programs are therefore limited in their application to real‐life situations. Solving ill‐defined problems can be described in terms of two interacting processes: identifying the properties of the goal, and simultaneously attempting to find procedures for accomplishing the goal. Within this framework, goal specification is supported by the inference of goal properties from analogous problems and from unsuccessful procedures. This description of how people solve ill‐defined problems was used to develop a number of implications for training programs aimed at improving problem‐solving abilities.