Human-Computer Interaction Chapter 3 - Reasoning and Problem Solving

Human-computer interaction
Chapter 3 – Reasoning and problem solving
Human-Computer interface Page 1/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Plan
● Reasoning
– The process by which we use the knowledge we have to draw
conclusions or infer something new about the subject of
interest
– Types of reasoning
Deductive
●
● Inductive
● Abductive
● Problem solving
– Use information we have to find solutions in new situations
● Gestalt (or form) theory
● The problem space (Newell et Simon)
● Analogy

Deductive reasoning
● Premises => Algorithms => Conclusions
– Example :
One don't work on week-ends
It is saturday today
Saturday is the first day of the weekend
Conclusion : I do not work today
– The conclusion always derives from the premises
by logical operations but this does not mean that
the premises were correct !
– Deductive reasoning may lead to false conclusions
if premises are wrong or incomplete or if there
is an error in the algorithm
Deductive reasoning errors - examples
Wrong premises
Stocks are going up every day since 2 Weeks
After a 10 day growing run, stock values will decrease ; after a 10

day fall run, they increase
I have IBM stocks that grew 20%.
I sell them today and buy them back in 2 weeks.

Incomplete premises
The 3d year of the english department of FILS has an HCI course in CB105
today between 16:00 and 18:00
It is 17:00 hour
Jim is a 3d year student at FILS
Jim is in CB105....

Inductive reasoning (1)
● Inductive reasoning corresponds to the generalization that we
make from cases we know, to infer information about an
unknown case. The facts are true (experience) but the
generalizations (making a law) may not be : one counter-
example is enough to invalid the « law ».
● Example 1 :
– The first line hereafter shows 5 hexagones ; it is asked to add a 6-th one,
selected between those shown in the second line.


Inductive reasoning helps us learn and

orient in a changing environment. But the
law established by inductive reasoning must
be constantly verified:

Wason's cards
7 E 4 K
Each card has a number on one side and a letter on the other
side. Say which cards must be turned on to invalid the following
“rules”
Rule #1
If a card has a vowel on one side, then it's opposite side is an
even number.
Rule #2
If a card has an even number on one side then it has a vowel
on the other side.

Abductive reasoning
● Abduction : it is the type of reasoning used to determine the
causes of a given effect :
– The result is observed
– One knows causes to effects possible relations
– A hypothesis to explain the causes is put forward
– The hypothesis is checked
This type of reasoning is common to police inquieries and to
medical diagnosis, but is also used in everyday life.
Another application are the « expert systems » : in order to
choose the most appropriate hypothesis, one sets up a
mechanism to evaluate the « value » of each one proposed.

Problem solving : gestalt theory
● Gestalten in german means « to structure, to give form » ;

it has no equivalent in other languages and for this reason
the word is used « as is » in french, english, romanian...
● The main ideas are :
– We are pre-programmed to perceive forms that we use
constantly to understand our environment, by grouping
and restructuring them to solve new problems
– The « whole » is not the sum of the parts : we perceive
the whole before perceiving the details
● This principles are the basis for the « gestalt » theory and
are also useful guides to HCI design. The theory
establishes the following « laws » :

The « laws » of the gestalt theory
● The good form : an informal set is first perceived as a simple form, stable
and symmetric
● Continuity : close points are first perceived as forming a line
● Similitude : in a set we try to assemble similar objects
● Common destiny : the objects moving simultaneously in the same direction
are perceived as being part of the same form
● Closure : it is easier to perceive closed forms surrounding a surface
Conclusion : we combine our perception with our knowledge and thus

we add information which is absent in the stimuli

Gestaltic perception
● Example :
Although attractive, this theory leaves unexplained many aspects of the

problem solving mechanisms.

Problem solving : the problem space
Initial state
Search Desired state
Search
Problem space
(Newell, Simon - 1972)
Problem space :
● Initial state : problem statement and known conditions
● Research space : information space containing all data and procedures that will be used to
solve the problem
● Goal : target description
Limitations :
● The model works if both the initial and final states are well defined and well known.
Sometimes this is impossible and the state definitions become a part of the problem, like in
the case of functional specifications in programming.

Problem solving exercise
Identify the goals and operators involved in the

problem 'delete the second paragraph of the
document' on a word processor. Now use a word
processor to delete a paragraph and note your
actions, goals and sub-goals
How well did they match your earlier description?

Problem solving : analogy
● The analogy is used to solve a new problem by looking for

similitude with known situations and events, for which the
problem was solved.
Example :
A doctor has to blast a malign tumour with very strong rays. But
he knows that the surrounding healthy tissue will also be
destroyed ; if he lessens the rays' intensity the healthy tissue
will be preserved but the tumour will remain. How should the
doctor proceed ?

Problem solving : can the following story help the doctor ?
A greek general attacking an enemy city had to

avoid the main road, since the defenders could
easily stop his soldiers. He decided to split his
army in small groups which attacked arriving on
several roads simultaneously. The manoeuvre
was successful

Learning
Understanding the skill acquisition mechanisms is more and more

important since the advent of computer and it's use in computer
assisted training. The application integrated help systems are also
addressing skill acquisition mechanisms.
● Concept acquisition
– Repetition's role
● Skill acquisition
– Experts vs novices behaviour (chess ?)
● Methods
– Structured acquisition
– Try and error

Human errors
Understanding the reasons of human errors is important for decision taking
processes. Some errors may have catastrophic effects. There are many reasons
why humans make errors ; wrong man / machine interfaces can be a cause (the
case of the Spitfire pilots and of Israeli plane landing in an enemy zone)
● Bad design
● Response time
● Incompetence
● Lack of attention or concentration
– To many informations arriving simultaneously can divert the user
● Context change
– Unexpected (example : a difference between the real behaviour of a device and
it's description in the documentation or explanation during training)
– Loose preparation (example : a behavioural change is asked but the operator
was not informed or incomplete information was provided).
● Natural or provoked emotion

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Human-computer interaction

Chapter 3 – Reasoning and problem solving

Human-Computer interface Page 1/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 2/III Petre Dimo - 2015

After a 10 day growing run, stock values will decrease ; after a 10

I have IBM stocks that grew 20%.

I sell them today and buy them back in 2 weeks.

Human-Computer interface Page 4/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 5/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 6/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Inductive reasoning helps us learn and

Human-Computer interface Page 7/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 8/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 9/III Petre Dimo - 2015

● Gestalten in german means « to structure, to give form » ;

Human-Computer interface Page 10/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Conclusion : we combine our perception with our knowledge and thus

Human-Computer interface Page 11/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Although attractive, this theory leaves unexplained many aspects of the

Human-Computer interface Page 12/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 13/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Identify the goals and operators involved in the

How well did they match your earlier description?

Human-Computer interface Page 14/III Petre Dimo - 2015

● The analogy is used to solve a new problem by looking for

Human-Computer interface Page 15/III Petre Dimo - 2015

A greek general attacking an enemy city had to

Human-Computer interface Page 16/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Understanding the skill acquisition mechanisms is more and more

Human-Computer interface Page 17/III Petre Dimo - 2015

Human-Computer interface Page 18/III Petre Dimo - 2015

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