Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Problem-Solving01:29

Problem-Solving

225
Effective problem-solving consists of two steps: 1. identifying the problem and 2. selecting the appropriate problem-solving strategy (i.e., a plan of action used to find a solution). Humans use four problem-solving strategies:
225
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused01:27

Coping Strategies: Problem Focused

128
Coping strategies are methods people use to manage, tolerate, or reduce the effects of stressors. These strategies involve both behavioral and psychological actions to handle stressful situations. One common approach is problem-focused coping, which aims to change or eliminate the source of stress rather than merely addressing its consequences. This method involves taking direct action to resolve the issue causing stress.
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
128
Solving Problems in Physics02:32

Solving Problems in Physics

6.5K
Problem-solving is the ability to apply general physical principles to specific situations, usually expressed by equations. It is an essential skill in physics, and can also be useful for applying physics in everyday life as well. Analytical skills and problem-solving abilities can be applied to new situations, compared to a list of facts, which can never be extensive enough to include every possible circumstance. To solve physics problems, a certain amount of creativity and insight is...
6.5K
Fundamental Attribution Error01:14

Fundamental Attribution Error

13.1K
According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is...
13.1K
Normal and Tangetial Components: Problem Solving01:24

Normal and Tangetial Components: Problem Solving

220
Consider a man with a mass of 70 kg seated in a chair connected to a pin support through a member BC. If the man maintains an upright position, the task is to determine the horizontal and vertical reactions of the chair on the man when the member makes a 45° angle with the horizontal. At this moment, the man has a speed of 5 m/s, increasing at a rate of 1 m/s².
220
Problem Solving in Statics01:28

Problem Solving in Statics

767
Problem-solving in statics is a crucial aspect of engineering and physics that involves resolving issues associated with bodies in a state of equilibrium. In most cases, problem-solving requires several steps to achieve an accurate result. These steps are crucial to ensuring that the solution is accurate and practical.
The physical situation and mathematical modeling must be considered; however, it is challenging to represent all physical situations using mathematical modeling. With the help of...
767

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Opening the black box of neural variability: From noise to mechanisms.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews·2026
Same author

The interplay of visual short-term memory, attention, and consciousness: A PRISMA systematic review of behavioral and neuroimaging studies with partial report and change detection.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews·2025
Same author

Perceptual bias in Gestalt grouping by proximity affected by visual working memory load.

Acta psychologica·2025
Same author

Spatiotemporal survival analysis for movement trajectory tracking in virtual reality.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Adaptive rewiring: a general principle for neural network development.

Frontiers in network physiology·2024
Same author

Prior EEG marks focused and mind-wandering mental states across trials.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2024
Same journal

Design, Development and Validation of a Training Package for Treating Procrastination in Students Based on Grounded Theory: A Mixed-Methods Approach.

PsyCh journal·2026
Same journal

Editorial: Verification, Falsification, and the Methodology Paradigm Shift for Scientific Psychology.

PsyCh journal·2026
Same journal

Exploratory Graph Analysis Failed to Reproduce the Hypothesized Functional Zoning Framework in the OECD Survey on Social and Emotional Skills.

PsyCh journal·2026
Same journal

Mapping Theoretical Frameworks of Positive Psychology in Second Language Acquisition Research: A Scoping Review.

PsyCh journal·2026
Same journal

Gender-Specific Depression-Anxiety Symptom Networks and the Impact of Weight Status: Insights From a Large-Scale Study.

PsyCh journal·2026
Same journal

Effects of Affect and Source on Adoption of Health Information.

PsyCh journal·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

6.3K

Problem type and externalization in problem-solving.

Lan Wang1, Cees van Leeuwen1,2

  • 1Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Psych Journal
|August 9, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study found analytic problems are easier than insight problems, and verbal problems are easier than spatial problems. Externalizing thoughts through talking or sketching did not impact problem-solving performance.

Keywords:
creative cognitionexternalizationinsightverbalization

More Related Videos

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
10:26

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

4.0K
The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups
14:14

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

6.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 2, 2025

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
06:45

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal

Published on: April 18, 2017

6.3K
Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities
10:26

Problem-Solving Before Instruction PS-I: A Protocol for Assessment and Intervention in Students with Different Abilities

Published on: September 11, 2021

4.0K
The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups
14:14

The Innovation Arena: A Method for Comparing Innovative Problem-Solving Across Groups

Published on: May 13, 2022

6.0K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Problem-Solving Research

Background:

  • Understanding cognitive processes in problem-solving is crucial.
  • Distinguishing between insight and analytic problem-solving is a key area of research.
  • The role of externalization (e.g., verbalization, sketching) in problem-solving remains debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare problem-solving performance across insight and analytic problems in verbal and spatial domains.
  • To investigate the impact of externalization techniques (thinking aloud, sketching) on problem-solving.
  • To identify which problem types present the greatest difficulty.

Main Methods:

  • A within-participants factorial design was employed.
  • Participants (N/A) solved 24 classical insight and analytic problems, balanced for verbal and spatial domains.
  • Problem-solving was assessed under three conditions: thinking aloud, sketching, and a baseline (no externalization).

Main Results:

  • Analytic problems yielded higher accuracy than insight problems.
  • Verbal problems were solved with greater accuracy and speed than spatial problems.
  • Spatial-insight problems were identified as particularly difficult.
  • No significant effects of externalization (verbalization or sketching) on speed or accuracy were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Problem-solving difficulty varies significantly across problem types and domains.
  • Spatial-insight problems represent a particularly challenging category.
  • Current findings suggest externalization techniques may not universally enhance problem-solving performance.
  • The results prompt a re-evaluation of theories positing unique cognitive processes for insight problems.