ABSTRACT
Learning from problem solving has been proposed as a method for fostering fluently applicable skill. Problem solving in a variety of forms has been associated especially with the pedagogy of mathematics and of science, but some educational psychologists now advocate that even such school subjects as history should be learned through problem solving. An important and robust finding of the information-processing approach to expertise is that it is usually characterized by “strong methods” — problem-solving methods specific to a domain — rather than by general “weak methods” that might be useful generally across all domains. Characteristics of the problem presentation can greatly affect the difficulty of problem solving and therefore affect learning. Associative learning takes place when a transmitted vector becomes associated with a new vector within the connection weights of a module.
