| Summary: | Based on their previous experience of solving problems, people can get stuck in a specific strategy to solve similar kinds of problems, which psychologists call the Einstellung effect. This thesis utilizes this effect in order to manipulate the usage of specific problem solving strategies in microworlds and, through the collected data, evaluates them against each other. An experiment was conducted to investigate these hypotheses, by training participants to use two different strategies to solve the same problem. The results indicate that the Einstellung effect, in combination with the microworld data, can be used to categorize strategies, but that the dynamic and complex characteristics of microworlds require more rigidly controlled environments to facilitate the usage of predetermined strategies. Controlling and recording interactions and progress through the microworld made it possible to compare the performance of different strategies and groups; thus, microworlds can provide a tool for capturing and analyzing data from more realistic lab studies.
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