Problem çözmeye ait bir tecrübe olan bu çalışma, bir psikoloji sınıfında, ferdî çalışma şart koşularak, ev vazifesi olarak hazırlanmıştı. Malzeme, üzerleri numaralanmış zarflar içinde, sınıftaki bütün talebelere verilmek üzere hazırlanmıştı. Talimat ders esnasında verilmiş, ve problemi toplama, çıkarma, çarpma, bölme ve eşit gibi işaretlerin üzerine kullanılabilecek yeni bir seri bulmak teşkil etmişti. İşaretlerin her biri orijinal, mantıkî, münasip, basit ve ayırd edici hususîyetleri haiz olmalıydılar. Her denek, bulduğu cevabı zarfa koyup kapatarak, ya ertesi haftaki derse getirecek, veya profesöre postayla gönderecekti. Buna ilâveten, daha sonra 36 deneğin tecrübelerini tetkik maksadıyla 30 maddelik bir sual listesi kullanılmıştı. Deneklerin bulmuş oldukları sembollerle, bunlardan elde edilen neticeler yukarıda etraflıca anlatılmıştır, Bu ersatz problemi tek bir hususî hal çaresine lüzum göstermiyen yaratıcı düşünceye meydan vermiş bulunmaktaydı.

This experiment in problem solving was designed for use in a psychology class as a home assignment to be worked omindividually. The materials were provided in numbered envelopes, one supplied to each class member. The problem was to invent a set of five signs for use as substitutes for the usual signs for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and equality. The signs were to be original, logical, convenient, simple, and distinctive. Each student was to seal up his solution in his envelope before bringing it to the next class meeting, or was to mail it to the instructor. A questionnaire of 30 items was used later for sampling the problem solving experience of 36 subjects who turned in sets of symbols. Rules for grading the symbols and assigning scores were made and all of'the sets were judged and marked by the experimenter with no information as to thé identity of the subjects. According to the rules a set of five symbols might win a grade of 50. The top grade given was 47 and the lowest of the 36 grades was 25. In a few cases a bold attempt was made to organize the entire set of signs around one symbol élément. More frequently subjects built one pair of signs around a logical modification of one symbol and a second pair on another symbol. Twenty of the subjects solved the -j problem logically by using the same basic symbol for both signs, but representing the minus by a portion of it or placéing it in two positions. Arrows pointing in different directions were used to represent space or movement concepts associated with all five signs. Somewhat more than one-half of the signs submitted appear to be abstract, i.e. devoid of obvious logical relation to the operation represented. Results indicate that the easiest symbol to invent was that for equality and the next was the sign for addition. On the assumption that a lower score implied greater difficulty it was found that pair X -4- was harder than pair H , and the MD —1.75 score points showed P = < .01. All the sets of symbols submitted are reproduced in the paper and the results in terms of mean score differences between various sub-groupings of the subjects are presented. This ersatz problem offers scope for creative thinking without requiring one specific solution.