An Empirical Study of Underlying Cognitive Factors in Complex Problem-Solving Collaboration

Abstract

The efficiency of complex problem-solving (CPS) in groups determines the productivity of a society. Current CPS methods are not satisfactory owing to their ineffectiveness and high resource requirements. This research aims to formulate cognition-oriented guidelines for conducting productive CPS discussions. A method for evaluating personal relevancy and perspective toward problem complexity was developed in our previous work to explore the underlying cognitive processes in CPS discussions. This paper presents the updated results, demonstrating that the ability to thoroughly interpret the problem at the beginning of a CPS discussion determines the quality of the discussion.