The Psychology of Problem-Solving

A short educational video about what psychology tells us about how people solve problems.

Three-Glass Problem

The Candle Problem

[nataliemendelsohn]

Very insightful. I wish i knew this before i burned my house down.

[oscarbadillo]

I tried the candle 🕯️ problem and burnt my house down 😔

I tried the glass problem with vodka and ended with 3 empty glasses 😔

[thePrinceOfPurpose]

Reframing an experience in life is a wonderfully powerful way to overcome adversity.

[kisskeepitshortsimple]

Glorious! Thank you, Edward! Despite of knowing the essence of your message, I receive always an uplifted when I perceive it from others. Your performance - the examples, the words, the heartful tone of your voice (not preaching nor lecturing, but SHARING) gets straight into tbe mind and the soul. God bless you! Thanks so much!

[vividhrp]

All the nine dots can be connected with ONE BIG LINE (MAKE THE DOTS SMALL AND THE LINE BIG ENOUGH TO COVER ALL NINE DOTS)

[HritujaSen]

Yes, it is true that when problems are approached in an unexpected way, they can be solved in a quite easier way, as compared to the usual methods like Trial or Error. The video gives a good hint about the out-of-the-box thinking approach as well. This approach is very important to solve tricky questions. It makes tricky questions look very simple for the one who uses this approach. Also, reading the questions carefully is important for getting a solution. 😀

[PsychHacks]

Witkin's work on field dependence and field independence has a bearing on the ability to solve problems that use diagrams.

[fimeeee]

By combining elements of solutions that don't work, we can sometimes find a solution that does work

[benjaminkeep]

An absolutely stupendous demonstration of insight problems.

[deepanshugupta]

I really liked the concept as to how a simple change in perspective can lead to numerous problem solving techniques including using of hints, thinking outside the box and also seeing what’s not present as a positive attribute. It was a really thoughtful video. I enjoyed it very much, please keep making such videos :)

[FromAlaska]

Another solution for the pins is that you would use 2 or three of the pins to stick another pin upside down. The candle is stuck on the point of the upside down pin. Either way though, when the candle burns down it may still catch the board on fire, either by burning through the pins or by burning the box.

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Beautiful explanation. *It's all about expanding the perspective.*
Defining the problem from different angles can provide an unexpected solution.
Combination of solutions can also create a new solution.

[TheBochiz]

Amazing content... Thank you for sharing.

[LoveAndPeaceOccurs]

Thank You Edward Oneill for this video ...if nothing else it may get people thinking a bit more about how problems are solved, which is always a good thing. My undergrad degree was in Psychological sciences and I was introduced to these and many other types of test used in the field of Psychology. There is something to learn from these experiments and there is some truth about the facts that we tend to get stuck in a certain views and have difficulty shifting to more novel approaches ... However ... many of us are aware that the real life experiences of problem solving are NOT well represented by these test, (yes they are still used by some who cling to what little validity are afforded them.)
In real life when we encounter a problem the entire problem is immediately seen or considered THAT which stops us from doing whatever it is we are doing (or slows us or causes us to us hesitate). That I will call the "1stP". We have an up close, in person and intimate, relationship with the "1stP". We also have built in motivation to solve "1stP" (IF we want to continue doing what we were doing). I will call this factor "1stM" Motivation, as many studies show, is a huge factor in problem solving and yet in these types of test the only motivation is a ..."lets pretend for the sake of discovery we have a problem here" ... our minds will not resolve these problems in the same way we solve real life problems ... even though there are some shared factors involved.
At each step of problem solving in real life we may or may not have the motivation to continue to resolve the "1stP" and may walk away from it. With test such as these lack of feeling motivation may just lead us to not really put forth the same sort of effort. Really people who do really well on these test do not demonstrate extraordinary real life problem solving abilities ... well actually they do solve certain types of problems better ... but the thing is here ... we all have certain problems we tend to solve better than others so really nothing grand here.
Here is a Real problem .... many people have been lead to think there are people who are better at resolving problems. This thinking causes some people to instead of figuring out how to resolve a problem themselves they seek out a person who they believe will resolve that problem more quickly and better than they might. (They are often given titles such as specialist or Masters). Now don't get me wrong if your problem is medical there are people trained in medical techniques that know how to attend to your medical problem. That does not make them better at solving problems it shows they learn well and practice what they have learned. This is where the problem becomes a problem ... we confuse smart and well trained people who can do their job well with people who can solve problems well.
The best person to solve a problem is the person who the problem effects first hand (they are encountering "1stP" and they will feel "1stM" and are most likely to stay around and take the time required to do whatever is required to solve the problem. They may ask for help but it is essential they remain part of the process because they will know if the problem is totally solved or not once they begin to do what they were doing again and they will know if the "fix" might have caused other problems and they will know over time if the "fix" just temporarily helped or if the fix lasted.
Problems are something no one wants to happen while they are busy doing whatever it is they are doing ... no one likes problems (many people like solving puzzles for pleasure but a Real problems is never "welcomed". We always want the problem to go away as quickly as is possible but fact is ... some problems will take lots of time just to figure out what the real problem is and then even more time to figure out an effective way to solve it and then even more time to implement the solution and then time to find out if that solution works ... solving a problem requires intimate knowledge of All factors involved in "1stP" and it requires motivation that does not go away. We have formed job positions that do not allow us to take the time required to solve problems because we have to "get back to work" in some other fashion while someone else steps in to solve the problem.
Society has formed a whole network of hiring others to resolve problems they know little to nothing about ... and it has lead to many other problems as well as important problems not getting resolved.
I know that most people will not take the time to read all that I say here ... and it only begins to speak about how we might better solve problems. Remember I'm not suggesting we don't train people to specialize in certain actions ... but we need to remember they need the person with the problem to help them if the problem is going to have a better chance of getting solved well. There has to be clear communication about what, is "1stP" and there has to be the ability to not confuse "1stP" with "2ndP" or "2ndP" once removed etc ... Resolving complex problems requires resolve to do what is required. The problem of poverty for instance requires poor people to be at the table and they are not. I need to end this due to the problem of long comments not being posted at times. : ) Love & Peace to All

[vadster]

The video was helpful for me. Good reminder that sometimes we need to step back, relax and explore the problem space.

[LaserSharkPhotoablations]

i solved the candle by sticking a pin in the bottom of the candle, and then pinning the pin to the wall with 4 overlapping pins around it

[jamesnw]

That match box solution would probably still burn the house down lol. :P ;)

[PusaStudios]

Great explanation! see patterns, think outside the box! Thank you for sharing!

[JamoonXerxesSauber]

Solving these sorts of problems for me is never usually a (ahem) problem, although I enjoy solving problems and have a lot of practice at doing so. What amazes me is the simple genius it takes to come up with them in the first place. Or maybe the fuel is extreme boredom

[mohammedelsadek]

Great piece of content, wish you the best