Influence of Timing of Hints on Their Effectiveness in Problem Solving

Abstract

To determine whether the receptivity and effectiveness of hints was related to the length of time Ss had spent on a problem before receiving them, a good and a poor hint were used in the Hatrack Problem (Maier, 1945) with 383 male college students, who were individually tested. Three stages of problem solving were selected for each hint in order to measure the importance of timing. These were as follows: (1) at the outset, before problem-solving activity had started, (2) at a point when Ss were about to give up after experiencing a variety of failures, and (3) at an intermediate stage when S might be actively involved in exploring his own ideas. (1) Differences attributable to the stages at which the hints were introduced were not significant for either hint. This similarity seemed to result from the manner in which the hints interrupted ongoing activity. Ss were told that the hint was applicable. (2) The analysis of activity following the hint supported an earlier study demonstrating that the effect of the hint was to eliminate activity incongruous with it. Thus the value of each hint depended upon the incorrect activity it eliminated. (3) The timing of the hint did not influence subsequent problem-solving activity.