ABSTRACT
Empirical work provides evidence that problem solvers are generally very good at recognising problem states they have encountered before. The studies presented show that the time taken to judge if a past state is one a participant has seen before is partially based upon the distance that state is away from the current state of the problem. The general picture that emerges from this is that problem solvers make inferential or plausibility judgements, possibly in tandem with memory for certain states, about problem situations that they have encountered before. In contrast, those with damage to neurological systems thought to be closely involved in planning processes, particularly the frontal lobes show a significant impairment in the ability to learn how to solve such problems. The work presented suggests that an understanding of both memory and inferential processes is needed to provide a complete picture of problem solving in the domain.
