ABSTRACT
The terms “plans” and “planning” can be used to refer to many different aspects of cognition and cognitive control in everyday life. One use of the term “plan” is to describe a procedure for achieving a particular goal or desired outcome. For example, when we ask a friend or colleague “So, what’s the plan?” we are often hoping for a set of directions to guide our thoughts and actions. That is, we are hoping for directions on what to do and when to do it, and this in turn might tell us those things that are most important and those things to watch out for. Ideally, the plan that is shared should be complete (that is, the contents and their ordering satisfactorily accomplishes the goal), efficient (the component thoughts and actions should hopefully have been evaluated and optimized), and foolproof (the instructions should be easy to memorize, monitor and execute, with little chance of things going wrong). However, in everyday life, plans may still be useful without offering explicit guidance or instructions. A map of the London Underground or an architect’s diagram detailing the layout of a house may also be properly referred to as plans, but they provide a representation or overview of a project or problem, rather than a set of directions. This type of plan refers to the appropriate organization of knowledge, and facilitates integration of the component parts of a problem, allows for mental simulation to generate and evaluate new ideas, and affords increased understanding to test and detect problems before they occur. That is, although these plans may themselves be
the result of prior planning, they additionally offer a representation or framework of a problem in such a way that helps promote future plans and planning. For example, a clear understanding of the current state of play and what needs to be done, together with a knowledge of the different means and methods at our disposal may greatly facilitate the efficiency of achieving our goals. Through using planning and problem-solving tips and strategies, a selected subset of (hopefully useful) new alternatives may be discovered more quickly and more efficiently than would be the case if one used only pure trial or error, or if one systematically explored each and every possibility in turn.
