Reaction Paper: Problem solving and creativity

A general wishes to capture a fortress located in the center of a country. There are many

roads radiating outward from the fortress. All have been mined. Although small groups

of men can pass over the roads safely, any large force will detonate the mines. A fullscale

direct attack is therefore impossible. What should the general do?

Imagine that you are a doctor treating a patient with a malignant stomach tumor. You

cannot operate on the patient because of the severity of the cancer. But unless you destroy

the tumor somehow, the patient will die. You could use high-intensity X-rays to destroy

the tumor. Unfortunately, the intensity of X-rays needed to destroy the tumor also will

destroy healthy tissue through which the rays must pass. X-rays of lesser intensity will

spare the healthy tissue, but they will be insufficiently powerful to destroy the tumor.

What kind of procedure could you employ that will destroy the tumor without also destroying

the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor?

19

Obstacles to problem solving

Positive transfer

Analogies

Negative transfer

Transparency