Per Saugstad

Availability of Functions: A Discussion of Some Theoretical Aspects

SUMMARYThe article is a discussion of the writers approch to problem-solving in terms of “availability of functions”. By way of introduction what are thought to be two fundamental weaknesses in the Gestalt theoretical framework to the study of “thinking” are pointed out. The first of these weaknesses refers to the difficulty of adequately defining the term “cognitive structure”. The other refers to the inadequate treatment by the Gestalt psychologists of the role played by past experience in problem-solving.A discussion is then presented of how the approach in terms of “availability of functions” might make possible a better treatment of the weak points in Gestalt psychology of “thinking”.At the end a criticism raised by Szekely of the approach in terms of “availability of functions” is considered. It is argued that Szekelys critical article as well as his own experimental reports reveal the weaknesses of the Gestalt school, in the way previously pointed out. Apparent differences between experimental re...

Problem-solving and availability of functions in children

SUMMARYResults of previous experiments with high school students had indicated that subjects having available in a problem situation the necessary functions for the solution to a problem actually will solve this problem. In the present report some of the major assumptions underlying this conclusion are discussed, and the fpllowing one subjected to an experimental investigation: the same results as those obtained with the high school students will also be obtained with another population of subjects.To test this assumption pupils of the sixth grade of an elementary school of Oslo were chosen-as subjects. The pupils were given the same problem (the ball problem) and subjected to a procedure essentially the same as the one used in a previously reported experiment on high school students. The results did not support the previously drawn conclusion. Out of ten subjects giving the necessary functions five did not solve the problem. Additional instructions to the five subjects not solving the problem suggested t...

Concepts in psychological model construction

SUMMARYSome critical comments are made to a recent article in this journal by Rommetveit who has dealt with problems relevant to the use of concepts in psychological models. It is maintained: I. that Rommetveit has given an inadequate presentation of the points of view of other writers; and II. that his presentation tends to oversimplify the complexity of the problems involved.