Problem Solving Simulation

Problem-Solving Simulation
Susan Creed
BEH225
July 14, 2012
Jean Fraley

Problem-Solving Simulation To solve the problem of man getting over the river with his dog, cat, and mouse, I had to evaluate the problem. The raft will only hold the man and one animal at a time and he cannot send the animals across the river alone. The dog and cat could not be left alone and the cat and mouse could not be left alone. At first glance the solution seemed simple but after a few tries, it became clear that critical thinking and effective problem solving skills would be needed to solve this problem simulation. I started by sending the cat over, which did not get me very far once I realized the cat would then be left alone with the dog or mouse, which would cause a fight. I then tried to send the mouse over first, which also proved ineffective when the dog and cat got into a fight. I then sent the dog over first, which I knew would not work because the cat and mouse were then left alone. This is where I realized I had to look at the problem critically and use my problem solving skills if I wanted to solve this problem. At this point, I hit a mental roadblock, so I decided to break the problem down into a series of smaller goals. This process is known as subgoal analysis (Morris & Maisto, 2010). Instead of focusing on the bigger picture of getting all three animals across, I started to think of ways to just get the cat across without leaving it alone with the mouse or the dog. This made the problem more manageable and less overwhelming. At this point, I sent the cat over the river and returned for the dog. Once I got the dog on the other side of the river, I brought the cat back so it would not be left alone to fight with the dog. At this point, I left the cat and took the mouse back over the river. Once the mouse was dropped off, I returned to the