Understanding Problem Solving Strategies

The way in which problems are solved can have a dramatic impact on success. This report discusses the role strategies have in thinking processes, metacognition, planning, expertise, and decisions. The report also provides a description of each of 66 strategies identified in psychological studies. The strategies have been grouped into three classes with three subordinate categories each. The classes of strategies are managing information, controlling progress, and making choices. The categories include considering hypotheses, combining information, managing the amount of information, ordering processes by hierarchical structures, sequencing processes, ordering processes by merit, managing the number of options, using compensatory choice, and using noncompensatory choice. The report discusses the adaptive nature of strategies and how this information can be used to improve military problem solving. Noteably, strategies have a specific contribution to make in the study of expertise, in defining decision aid requirements and in developing training programs. The principal conclusion was that existing definitions of strategies under-represented everyday problem situations and that actual strategies need to be observed, defined, and assessed for improvement. A general plan of research is outlined for improving military problem solving.