Editing Problem solving (section)

== Problem-solving strategies ==
{{See also|:Category:Problem solving skills}}
Problem-solving strategies are steps to overcoming the obstacles to achieving a goal. The iteration of such strategies over the course of solving a problem is the "problem-solving cycle".<ref name="Bransford1993">{{cite book | last1=Bransford|first1=J. D. |last2=Stein|first2=B. S | year = 1993 | title = The ideal problem solver: A guide for improving thinking, learning, and creativity |edition=2nd |location = New York | publisher = W.H. Freeman. |ref=Reference-Bransford}}</ref>

Common steps in this cycle include recognizing the problem, defining it, developing a strategy to fix it, organizing knowledge and resources available, monitoring progress, and evaluating the effectiveness of the solution. Once a solution is achieved, another problem usually arises, and the cycle starts again.

Insight is the sudden [[Aha! moment|a''ha!'']] solution to a problem, the birth of a new idea to simplify a complex situation. Solutions found through insight are often more incisive than those from step-by-step analysis. A quick solution process requires insight to select productive moves at different stages of the problem-solving cycle. Unlike Newell and Simon's formal definition of a ''move problem'', there is no consensus definition of an ''insight problem''.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{Cite journal|last1=Ash|first1=Ivan K.|last2=Jee|first2=Benjamin D.|last3=Wiley|first3=Jennifer|year=2012|title=Investigating Insight as Sudden Learning|journal=The Journal of Problem Solving|volume=4|issue=2|doi=10.7771/1932-6246.1123|issn=1932-6246|doi-access=free}}
|2={{Cite journal|last1=Chronicle|first1=Edward P.|last2=MacGregor|first2=James N.|last3=Ormerod|first3=Thomas C.|year=2004|title=What Makes an Insight Problem? The Roles of Heuristics, Goal Conception, and Solution Recoding in Knowledge-Lean Problems.|journal=Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition|volume=30|issue=1|pages=14–27|doi=10.1037/0278-7393.30.1.14|pmid=14736293|s2cid=15631498|issn=1939-1285|url=https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/558/2/Chronicle_et_alJEP_LM%26C_03.pdf }}
|3={{Cite journal|last1=Chu|first1=Yun|last2=MacGregor|first2=James N.|year=2011|title=Human Performance on Insight Problem Solving: A Review|journal=The Journal of Problem Solving|volume=3|issue=2|doi=10.7771/1932-6246.1094|issn=1932-6246|doi-access=free}}
}}</ref>

Some problem-solving strategies include:<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Wang | first1=Y. | last2=Chiew | first2=V. | title=On the cognitive process of human problem solving | journal=Cognitive Systems Research | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=11 | issue=1 | year=2010 | issn=1389-0417 | doi=10.1016/j.cogsys.2008.08.003 | pages=81–92 | s2cid=16238486 | url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patricia_Ryser-Welch/post/Do_Machines_learn/attachment/59d6235b79197b8077981b28/AS:306908018216960@1450183981555/download/61-Elsevier-CogSys-ProblemSolving.pdf}}</ref>
; [[Abstraction]]: solving the problem in a tractable model system to gain insight into the real system
; [[Analogy]]: adapting the solution to a previous problem which has similar features or mechanisms
; [[Brainstorming]]: (especially among groups of people) suggesting a large number of solutions or ideas and combining and developing them until an optimum solution is found
; [[Wiktionary:bypass|Bypasses]]:  transform the problem into another problem that is easier to solve, bypassing the barrier, then transform that solution back to a solution to the original problem.
; [[Critical thinking]]: analysis of available evidence and arguments to form a judgement via rational, skeptical, and unbiased evaluation
; [[Divide and conquer algorithm|Divide and conquer]]: breaking down a large, complex problem into smaller, solvable problems
; [[Help-seeking]]: obtaining external assistance to deal with obstacles
; [[Hypothesis testing]]: assuming a possible explanation to the problem and trying to prove (or, in some contexts, disprove) the assumption
; [[Lateral thinking]]: approaching solutions indirectly and creatively
; [[Means-ends analysis]]: choosing an action at each step to move closer to the goal
; [[Morphological analysis (problem-solving)|Morphological analysis]]: assessing the output and interactions of an entire system
; [[Observation]] / [[Question]]: in the [[natural sciences]] an observation is an act or instance of [[noticing]] or perceiving and the acquisition of [[information]] from a [[primary source]]. A question is an [[utterance]] which serves as a request for [[information]].{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
; [[Proof (truth)|Proof of impossibility]]: try to prove that the problem cannot be solved. The point where the proof fails will be the starting point for solving it
; [[Reduction (complexity)|Reduction]]: transforming the problem into another problem for which solutions exist
; [[Research]]: employing existing ideas or adapting existing solutions to similar problems
; [[Root cause analysis]]: identifying the cause of a problem
; [[Trial-and-error]]: testing possible solutions until the right one is found