Abstract:
In the complex world of everyday life, ill-defined problems abound. Three problem-solving techniques that are used to help solve these ill-defined problems are incubation, brainstorming, and the hierarchical technique. With the advent of computer technology, computer programs are also now being incorporated into problem solving practices. Because the "best" solutions to problems depend on the context of the problem, it is necessary to assess problem-solving techniques using a variety of different qualitative measures such as quality, originality, and practicality. This study was conducted to both compare the effectiveness of incubation, brainstorming and the hierarchical technique and to assess the effect of technology on problem solving. One hundred and forty-three Ball State University students participated in the study. Students were asked to describe a personal problem and then generate solutions to this problem. They were then given training and allowed to return to their problem. Upon generating as many solutions as possible, students were asked to evaluate their solutions. It was found that the hierarchical computer condition produced the most solutions. It was also found that training helped to maintain pre-training quality ratings of solutions.
