Giving up problem solving.
How do people decide to abandon a problem? Participants were presented with unsolvable water jar problems, having been accurately informed of the prior probability of solvability. Across three experiments, we discovered effects of prior probability of solvability and of problem size (number of distinct problem states) on measures of effort and confidence. If a problem is more likely to be solvable and allows more problem states, a problem solver spends longer trying to solve the problem. Giving-up decisions are informed by the same judgments of probability of success and costs of solution that inform move-choice in a rational model of problem solving.
University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom. s.j.payne@bath.ac.uk
Stephen J
SJ
Payne
Geoffrey B
GB
Duggan
D001288:Attention; D001364:Awareness; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007721:Knowledge of Results, Psychological; D011337:Probability Learning; D011340:Problem Solving
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2007 Nov;33(6):1108-17
17983316
Cogn Sci. 2009 May;33(3):497-529
21585478
J Exp Psychol Gen. 2007 Aug;136(3):370-88
17696689
Psychol Rev. 2006 Jul;113(3):461-82
16802878
Psychol Rev. 1996 Oct;103(4):650-69
8888650
Theor Popul Biol. 1976 Apr;9(2):129-36
1273796
Psychol Rev. 2009 Jan;116(1):157-86
19159152
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2001 Jan;27(1):176-201
11204097
Cogn Psychol. 1998 Feb;35(1):34-70
9520317