Problem_Solving_Simulation_Beh_225

How did you interpret the problem' I really thought this was going to be easy to solve. I started to try every possible way to get them across and found that it did not work 15 after minutes of trying. I thought there had to be a trick for this, but each way I tried the scenario, it would not work, the cat would eat the mouse, or the dog would fight with the cat. What strategy did you use and how did you evaluate your progress' I knew that the cat, dog, and mouse all had to get to the other side. I did know that there would be fighting between each of the animals. The do fights with the cat but not the mouse. The cat fights with the mouse, but not the dog. The problem of all of it was the cat; it fought with both of the animals. I then decided to separate the cat and send it over. That did not work because, the dog and mouse fought with the cat when I sent it over. Finally I sent the cat over first, and came back for the dog. I took the dog over and brought the cat back to the existing shore. Next I took the mouse over to join the dog and then returned to get the cat. Finally I took the cat over again to join the rest of the animals. Looking at the problem I evaluated my progress as very good. I looked at the example, eliminated the wrong or simplest ideas and then looked for creative ways to solve the problem. Did you encounter any obstacles while solving the problem' The only obstacle I encountered was the fact that I did not know that the animals could be moved back across the river after they were moved the first time. After I tried to move the cat back with me and succeeded, I did not find any other obstacles because I completed the activity. Were you aware of this thought process as you worked through the problem' I was not aware of the process as I worked through the problem because I did not know how it worked. It took a lot of trial and error and playing with the animals. As soon as I figured that I could take an animal back without them fighting, helped me figure out how to solve the problem.