In: Cowan, N. (Hrsg.): Experimental psychology and its implications for human development. Encyclopedia of life support systems (EOLSS), developed under the auspices of the UNESCO. Oxford, UK, Eolss Publishers 2002

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Abstract

Human thinking, and in particular, the human ability to solve complex, real-life problems contributes more than any other human ability to the development of human culture and the growth and development of human life on earth. However, the human ability to solve complex problems is still not well understood, partly because it has for a long time been largely ignored by traditional problem-solving research in the field of psychology. In this article, we present a definition of complex problem solving and describe a theoretical framework that accommodates the theoretical and empirical strides that have been made in understanding complex problem solving thus far and may serve as a guide for future research. We discuss the dominant methodological approaches that have been employed to study complex problem solving, and offer our own recommendations on which of the various approaches might be the most promising.