Accession Number:

ADA071674

Title:

A Clinical-Experimental Analysis of Design Problem Solving.

Descriptive Note:

Interim research rept.,

Corporate Author:

IBM THOMAS J WATSON RESEARCH CENTER YORKTOWN HEIGHTS N Y

Personal Author(s):

• Carroll,John M.
• Thomas,John C.
• Malhotra,Ashok

Report Date:

1978-04-24

Pagination or Media Count:

30.0

Abstract:

Two studies of design problem solving are reported. Experiment 1 presents an observational study of an actual client-designer work session. Analysis of the session transcript reveals a systematically structured interaction. The client and the designer decompose the overall design problem into sub-problems, each of which is smaller and somewhat more well-structured than the overall problem. Experiment 2 is a laboratory study. The client role is simulated by an instruction booklet subjects play the designer role. Again, it is found that subjects spontaneously structure the elements of a design problem into sub-problems the nature of which is systematically related to aspects of problem structure. There is high intersubject agreement as to how the decomposition into sub-problems should proceed. Author

Descriptors:

• *PROBLEM SOLVING
• DECISION MAKING
• PERFORMANCE(HUMAN)
• EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
• REASONING
• INTERROGATION
• DECOMPOSITION
• INFORMATION PROCESSING
• INTERVIEWING

Subject Categories:

• Psychology

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE