What is it, really?
At the heart of problem solving sits abstract reasoning: identifying the rule behind the examples. The field’s most famous test is Raven’s Progressive Matrices: a grid of shapes with one cell missing, where you must infer which shape completes the pattern. A classic analysis unpacked exactly which thinking processes that test measures (Carpenter, Just & Shell, 1990).
Another side is carrying a solution from one problem to another. Classic research on "analogical problem solving" showed how hard, and how useful, it is to notice that a new problem shares its structure with one you already solved (Gick & Holyoak, 1980).
How researchers measure it
In the lab, problem solving is measured with pattern-completion tasks (Raven-style), multi-step planning puzzles, and problems that demand systematic trial and error. Our "Shape Cipher" game is built precisely around completing the pattern in a grid of shapes, and "Pattern Recognition" and "Shape Fit" around pattern spotting and planning.
What it looks like day to day
In daily life: assembling furniture when the instructions are unclear, packing the suitcase so everything fits, or working out why the cake didn’t come out right and what to change next time.
About the research
The classic analysis of Raven’s matrices: which thinking processes the test really measures.
Carpenter, P. A., Just, M. A., & Shell, P. (1990). What one intelligence test measures: A theoretical account of the processing in the Raven Progressive Matrices Test. Psychological Review.
The classic study of transferring solutions between structurally similar problems.
Gick, M. L., & Holyoak, K. J. (1980). Analogical problem solving. Cognitive Psychology.
This page explains how researchers define and measure this ability. It is not medical advice and not a promise of training outcomes.
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