COGNITIVE-PROCESSES IN WELL-DEFINED AND ILL-DEFINED PROBLEM-SOLVING

We investigated the relationship between two kinds of problem solving using Kitchener's model of hierarchical cognitive processing. We predi cted that performance on well-defined problems (i.e. those with a sing le, guaranteed solution) would be independent of ill-defined problems (i.e. those with multiple, non-guaranteed solutions). We also predicte d that self-reported epistemic beliefs (i.e. assumptions about the nat ure and acquisition of knowledge) would be related to ill-defined, but not well-defined, solutions. Results confirmed these predictions. We concluded that well-defined and ill-defined problems require separate cognitive processes and that epistemic beliefs play an important role in ill-defined problem solving. These findings supported Kitchener's t hree-level model of problem solving.