Problem solving abstract

Intellectual capacity is considered in the context of an individual s social, cultural, and educational opportunities. The presentation of problem-solving situations congruent with one s life circumstances is an excellent way to determine intellect and capacity to make sound judgments. Insight has many levels of meaning. It may simply refer to a basic appreciation of how and why individuals finds themselves in their present situations, or it can refer to a person s appreciation of a more complex set of causal relationships that have culminated in the present problem. One s abstractive ability is the capacity to perceive a conceptual commonality in otherwise apparently distinct or separate entities. This ability can be tested by the patient s understanding of proverbs and appreciation of humor. 

The effects of cocaine on cognitive functions have been measured in controlled studies. The preliminary results of a study of 20 heavy cocaine abusers and a group of matched controls showed impaired function on neuropsychological tests in 50% of the abusers compared with 15% of the controls (169). There were problems with concentration, memory, problem-solving, and abstract thinking in the cocaine users. The heavy users had the greatest loss of memory. Recent cocaine use was associated with poorer oral fluency and arithmetic scores. 

The Structured Abstraction technique comes in handy when you ve identified a functional contradiction that stands in the way of an innovation—and when other ideation techniques have fallen short. Because Structured Abstraction is deeply grounded in science, engineering, and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), it s best to seek the help of an expert when using this technique. 

This technique comes in handy when the innovation opportunity is (a) well-defined and (b) contains at least one technical contradiction (see Structured Abstraction, Technique 23) or physical contradiction (see Separation Principles, Technique 24). Unless you re well-versed in the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), you will need special assistance from an expert to properly apply this technique. Several U.S. and U.K. organizations can help (see resource list at the end of this technique). 

Two studies have incorporated the use of the Problem Solving Environment (PSE) in their design. One was the second experiment of chapter 7, which contrasted learning from abstract and specific instruction. As the final part of that study, one group of students worked for one session with PSE while another group completed the original SPS instruction. The essential conclusion we drew from the study was that 1 hour was simply too brief a time for the students to become comfortable in the interactive environment. They were able to use PSE but not as freely as we had hoped, and we suspected that their freedom to develop their own plans for problem solving was hampered by a lack of familiarity with the computer system itself. 

Measures abstract thinking, learning from experience, problem solving, adjustment to new situations. Score less than 70 denotes mental retardation Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test... 

The usefulness of this text will be greatly enhanced if you supplement it with information from current periodicals, basic references, statistical collections, abstracting services, indexes, and electronic data obtained from the World-Wide Web. This will allow you to update the data given in the text and—even more important—provide practice in finding the information chemical professionals need in day-to-day analysis and problem solving. The most important sources in this section are labeled with two asterisks and the next most important with one asterisk. If you are using the book for self-directed study, you should subscribe or have access to the doubled-asterisked periodicals and read the single-asterisked periodicals, become acquainted with the contents of the references with asterisks, locate a library with national and international references, and obtain a copy of the Statistical Abstract of the United States (Sections 0.1.1 and 0.1.2). 

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