Although complex problem solving has emerged as a field of psychology in its own right, the literature is, for the most part, widely scattered, and often so technical that it is inaccessible to non-experts. This unique book provides a comprehensive, in-depth, and accessible introduction to the field of complex problem solving. Chapter authors -- experts in their selected domains -- deliver systematic, thought-provoking analyses generally written from an information-processing point of view. Areas addressed include politics, electronics, and computers.

Contents: Part I:Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.K.E. Stanovich, A.E. Cunningham, Reading as Constrained Reasoning. M. Bryson, C. Bereiter, M. Scardamalia, E. Joram, Going Beyond the Problem as Given: Problem Solving in Expert and Novice Writers. S.M. Sokol, M. McCloskey, Cognitive Mechanisms in Calculation. Part II:Social Sciences.J.F. Voss, C.R. Wolfe, J.A. Lawrence, R.A. Engle, From Representation to Decision: An Analysis of Problem Solving in International Relations. R.K. Wagner, Managerial Problem Solving. J. Funke, Solving Complex Problems: Exploration and Control of Complex Social Systems. E. Amsel, R. Langer, L. Loutzenhiser, Do Lawyers Reason Differently from Psychologists? A Comparative Design for Studying Expertise. Part III:Natural Sciences.M. Hegarty, Knowledge and Processes in Mechanical Problem Solving. A. Lesgold, S. Lajoie, Complex Problem Solving in Electronics. D.S. Kay, Computer Interaction: Debugging the Problems. Part IV:Games.P.A. Frensch, R.J. Sternberg, Skill-Related Differences in Game Playing. Part V:Conclusions.E. Hunt, Some Comments on the Study of Complexity.