The research paradigm invented by Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon in the late 1950s dominated the study of problem solving for more than three decades. But in the early 1990s, problem solving ceased to drive research on complex cognition. As part of this decline, Newell and Simon's most innovative research practices--especially their method for…

This paper deals with two types of logical problems--recognition problems and reverse engineering problems, and with the interrelations between these types of problems. The recognition problems are modeled in the form of a visual representation of various objects in a common pattern, with a composition of represented objects in the pattern.…

This paper presents the IPS-I-model: a model that describes the process of information problem solving (IPS) in which the Internet (I) is used to search information. The IPS-I-model is based on three studies, in which students in secondary and (post) higher education were asked to solve information problems, while thinking aloud. In-depth analyses…

This article describes rational analyses and cognitive models of Web users developed within information foraging theory. This is done by following the rational analysis methodology of (a) characterizing the problems posed by the environment, (b) developing rational analyses of behavioral solutions to those problems, and (c) developing cognitive…

This article describes and tests a theory of scientific discovery learning based on the Scientific Discovery as Dual Search (SDDS) model. A study of 22 university chemistry students determined that conditions for performing a search operation in hypothesis space include sufficient knowledge of the search operation and reasons for choosing a…

Explores the relationship between the concept of uncertainty in information seeking within a model of the problem-solving process and variables derived from other models, based on longitudinal data collected in the United Sates and the United Kingdom that investigated the processes of mediated information retrieval searching during human…

The activities and research directions of the Educational Search Strategies project are outlined in this progress report. A pilot project was undertaken to study the development of problems into research projects. The research was to be divided into three areas: problem perception and problem definition, information search and dissemination, and…

Presents a model that uses online searching to teach critical thinking skills in elementary and secondary education based on Bloom's taxonomy. Three levels of activity are described: analyzing a search statement; defining and clarifying a problem; and focusing an information need. (Contains 13 references.) (LRW)

Presents a description of PLEXUS, an expert system on gardening designed as a referral tool for public libraries by the University of London. Highlights include determining user characteristics, developing the problem statement, the use of semantic categories, and search strategies that modify the original problem statement using Boolean…

Presents an outline of models of information seeking and other aspects of information behavior, showing the relationship between communication and information behavior in general with information seeking and information searching in information-retrieval systems. Also presents an alternative, problem-solving model which provides a basis for…

A comparative analysis of two decision making strategies was conducted. One strategy compared alternatives on their best attributes for "the best payoff," while the other strategy called for accepting the first alternative that achieved all minimum cutoff values for all attributes. The subjects, 211 college students, selected a mayoral preference…

Presents results of five experiments on human information-seeking behavior in different online information-seeking environments which studied search strategies and assessed information value in realistic search environments. A conceptual model of how humans value information is presented. Empirical and modeling results are considered for…

This paper explores the fault-tree analysis approach to isolating failure modes within a system. Fault tree investigates potentially undesirable events and then looks for failures in sequence that would lead to their occurring. Relationships among these events are symbolized by AND or OR logic gates, AND used when single events must coexist to…

The 12th iteration of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM 2019) is organized under the auspices of the International Educational Data Mining Society in Montreal, Canada. The theme of this year's conference is EDM in Open-Ended Domains. As EDM has matured it has increasingly been applied to open-ended and ill-defined tasks…

The text of an invited address on artificial intelligence (AI) research over the 1963-1968 period is presented. A survey of recent studies on the computer simulation of intellective processes emphasizes developments in heuristic programing, problem-solving and closely related learning models. Progress and problems in these areas are indicated by…