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Mechanisms of Control and Regulation in Problem Solving

  • Chapter
Action Control

Part of the book series: SSSP Springer Series in Social Psychology ((SSSOC))

Abstract

According to most cognitive models of human action, behavioral life is determined by a series of decisions between several goals and action alternatives. These goals and action alternatives are considered well-defined and stable throughout the decision-making process. Within this theoretical framework, the degree of cognition-behavior consistency depends on whether or not an actor sticks to the goal chosen and enacts the action alternative most appropriate to attaining that goal (see Parts I and II of this volume). This chapter is based on a different theoretical perspective. We believe that many episodes in an individual’s behavioral life entail a problem in finding a set of action alternatives to choose from. In many situations, people do not even have a clear-cut conception of the goal they are striving for. Someone may decide, for example, to remodel his home, but he does not have a clear idea of the changes he wants to make. Equally important is the fact that many situations require the consideration of alternative goals as well as the handling of competing goals. When goals, or action alternatives or both are ill-defined, a theory claiming to close the cognition-behavior gap has to account for processes involved in defining and solving the relevant problems.

Acknowledgment. Parts of the work reported in this chapter have been financially supported by a grant of the Foundation Volkswagenwerk, Hannover, awarded to the first author.

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Authors
  1. Rainer H. Kluwe
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  2. Gunnar Friedrichsen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für psychologische Forschung, Leopoldstrasse 24, D-8000, München 40, Germany

    Julius Kuhl  & Jürgen Beckmann  & 

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Kluwe, R.H., Friedrichsen, G. (1985). Mechanisms of Control and Regulation in Problem Solving. In: Kuhl, J., Beckmann, J. (eds) Action Control. SSSP Springer Series in Social Psychology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69746-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69746-3_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-69748-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-69746-3

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