Questions and Shifts of Representation in Problem Solving

Subjects were given an ill-defined problem, minimal instructions, and told they could ask questions answerable by yes or no. The questions they asked during problem formulation were graded for specificity, precision, and relevance, and their performance during problem solution was measured by their total earnings on each problem. Problem solution correlated with the quality of questions asked during problem formulation, and shifts in the vocabulary of those questions reflected shifts in representations with changes in problem states.