VI. Thinking & Problem-Solving
A. Types of Problems
1. Ill-Defined
2. Well-Defined
B. Solving Well-Defined Problems
1. Newell & Simon's Problem Space
2. Algorithms vs. Heuristics
3. Why Algorithms Don't Always Work
4. Newell & Simon: Types of
Heuristics
a. Means-Ends Analysis
b. Subgoals
c. Working Backwards
C. Some Barriers to Problem-Solving
1. Perceptual Set (Scheerer's 9-Dot Problem)
2. Functional Fixedness
a. Maier's String Problem
b. Duncker's Candle Problem
c. Overcoming Perceptual Set & Functional Fixedness via Restructuring
3. Problem-Solving Set Luchins & Luchins - the
Water Jug Problem
5. Kahneman & Tversky: Availability Heuristic
6. Kahneman & Tversky: Representativeness Heuristic (& Conjunction Fallacy)
VII. Language & Thought
A. Levels of Language
1. Phonemes2. Morphemes
3. Syntax (Grammar as a Generative Theory)
4. Semantics
5. Pragmatics
B. A Bit About Syntax
1. Phrase-Structure Rules
2. Lexical Insertion Rules
3. Transformational Rules
4. Deep Structure vs. Surface Structure
a. "They are flying planes"
b. "The shooting of the hunters
was awful"
C. A Bit About Semantics
1. Natural Language Categories & Fuzzy Boundaries
2. Wittgenstien: Categories are
Family-Resemblance Structures
D. A Bit About Pragmatics
1. Haviland & Clark: The Given-New
Principle
2. Direct & Indirect Requests
E. Whorf & The Linguistic Determinism Hypothesis
1. Strong vs. weak versions of the Whorfian
Hypothesis
2. Some cases where it may be wrong:
Color Terms