ANALYSIS OF THE MISSING PART IN PROBLEM SITUATIONS

The so-called Ring Problem was presented in writing to 127 students, of which half were given additional instructions to look for a missing instrumental part and try to replace it with the objects at hand. The added instructions increased the number of solutions within a 5-min. period. The results are taken to indicate the importance of determining the functional characteristics of the missing part in a practical problem situation.     

PROBLEM SOLVING AND THE ABILITY TO FIND REPLACEMENTS

Problem situations of the practical construction type may be regarded as situations characterized by a 'missing part'. The solution of a problem depends on the subject's awareness of what is missing, along with his ability to find a replacement for it. Scores on a test measuring this ability are compared with performance on two practical construction problems. Subjects who are successful on the problems have a higher mean score on the 'replacement test'. Scores on a 'function-naming' test are not found to correlate with performance on the problem.     

SEX DIFFERENCES ON PROBLEM-SOLVING TASKS

The question of sex differences in problem solving is discussed and some findings reported. Female subjects did as well as males on practical construction problems presented in writing. No sex difference was found on a 'function-naming' test, but female subjects were found to be superior when the task was to list replacements for missing implements.