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Updated: Apr 5, 2026

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
Published on: June 21, 2019
Neural basis of thinking: laboratory problems versus real-world problems
1Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada and University of Hull, UK.
Abstract:
Cognitive psychologists have long argued about the reality and significance of the distinction between well-structured and ill-structured problems. Laboratory problems are usually well-structured, whereas real-world problems have both well-structured and ill-structured components. This article shows how the neuropsychological data reinforce this distinction and suggests how this distinction may help to explain a puzzle about discontinuous performance of some neurological patients in laboratory and real-world problem situations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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