STRATEGIC ORGANIZATION OF PERCEPTUAL–COGNITIVE ACTIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING

Abstract

The multiplicity of contexts determines a corresponding multiplicity of approaches to their structural-functional analysis. Informational uncertainty gives rise to problem situations. Creative thinking is associated with solving problems under conditions of extremity and informational uncertainty. The acquisition by an individual of new, previously unknown properties of relevant objects occurs already in early childhood. The interpretation of facts is carried out through the structural–functional analysis of current information. The construction of a new mental image may occur on the basis of a slight transformation of initial knowledge about a problem situation through analogizing, or through combining and reconstructing when the initial information requires more radical changes. The adequacy of the constructed image is determined by the effectiveness of the creative tools employed. The central idea of the constructive nature of individual creativity is grounded in the functioning of multilayered formations, whose prototypical content includes the subconscious, preconscious, and related levels. It is advisable to incorporate Eastern approaches to psychology, personality, activity, and creativity into the framework of scientific analysis. Particular attention should be paid to that stage of the meditative process during which a new object is examined (in our case, the problem statement, conditions, or situational parameters). Understanding new information is primarily conditioned by the presence of relevant knowledge and the ability to “map” it onto a new situation. A strategy is defined by the interrelation of 1) an individual’s predisposition to select and process information; 2) a system of standardizing, designing, and testing tactics and actions aimed at constructing a specific structure with corresponding functions. The creative process is realized in the form of three cycles: standardization, design, and sketching. Accordingly, the outcomes of these cycles are: understanding, a structural design, and a preliminary (or final) solution. The creative process should be viewed as a complex contrapuntal intertwining of the cycles of understanding, design, and project testing. The regulation of the cognitive flow of problem solving (with the essential inclusion of the very concept of the “solution flow” in the analysis) may be determined through the notion of ongoing decisions. The problem-solving strategy integrates the three aforementioned cycles, each of which possesses its own internal structure.