Functions of hints in individual problem-solving.

A number of investigators have studied problem-solving by giving hints of various kinds to Ss.1 A common question raised is, "What makes a hint good ?" There is evidence indicating that hints which "explicate the goal" are more helpful than hints which do not; that "concrete hints" are more helpful than "abstract hints"; and that hints having no value, but which precede the appearance of a solution, are given credit for causing the solution, while hints known to be effective escape consciousness.2 More needs to be known, however, about how hints help Ss in solving a problem. Why are some hints helpful, while others are not? Why is the same hint helpful to one S and not to another?