Many students face cognitive bias while solving a problem. The cognitive bias or Einstellung effect both are the same things. It is a kind of thinking trap that prevents students from thinking of better solutions to a problem. It traps you in such a way that you can’t turn your mind away from it. In the end, you cannot find the desired solution to the conflict or problem. Thus, the Einstellung effect is a serious issue that many students face. The question is how students can avoid this dreaded effect.
Indeed, there are many ways to avoid this effect that hinders your success. In today’s article, best dissertation researchers will talk about those ways using which students can come up with great solutions. Moreover, it will also help them avoid this effect in the future.
Ways to Avoid Einstellung Effect
Avoiding the Einstellung effect is not an easy task for many students. It is such a trap that it does not let students think of other better solutions. Below are some ways students can adopt to get rid of this dreaded effect.
Remind yourself of the effect
Conscious awareness of the effect can help you avoid it. Many studies show that this effect exists in almost every game, field, and daily routine. Many easy solutions will be in front of the people, but they will only choose the one that first catches their mind. This must not happen because it will trap you in a cognitive bias. Continuously reminding yourself about this trap can help you eliminate this.
Example
For example, a teacher gives his class students a puzzle to solve. The teacher solves the first puzzle himself and then gives students a similar problem. Below is a detailed description of this example.
The teacher places three empty water pitchers in front of the students. Pitcher A holds 21 units, Pitcher B 127 units, and Pitcher C 3 units of water. The teacher uses only the three pitchers to measure 100 units of water.
He fills Pitcher B with 127 units of water. Then, pour enough to fill Pitcher A once and Pitcher C twice from Pitcher B. Pitcher B has 100 units left after subtracting Pitcher A (21 units) and Pitcher C twice (3 x 2 = 6 units). See, it is not difficult at all. The Einstellung effect starts in the second portion of this puzzle.
In the second part, the teacher gives students three different water pitchers. This time with capacities of 15, 39, and 3 units. He asks students to measure 18 units of water using these pitchers. Chances are, students hold Pitcher B, add 39 units of water, then take out enough to fill Pitcher A once and Pitcher C twice.
Do you see that the students got trapped in the Einstellung effect? They tried to solve the problem the same way their teacher did and chose the difficult path. But they should have added Pitcher A to Pitcher C to make it 18 units of water. This option was a lot easier, but they failed to remind themselves of this effect. Thus, students must remind themselves of this effect more often while solving a problem. It will help them avoid it and find better solutions.
Challenge Yourself
It is the second-best technique to eliminate cognitive bias. Instead of being stuck on a particular solution, the students must challenge themselves to get out of this. You know that this effect exists, and you need to push yourself out of it. Reminding themselves on and off while solving the problem helps them come up with easy solutions. Students must always tell their minds, “ Don’t be blind.” Saying this phrase, again and again, triggers active thinking and frees students from this dreaded bias.
Don’t work when tired
Tiredness always pushes you to take the easy way and rely on your cognitive bias. The fatigue or overloading of work directly relates to the Einstellung effect. Students can’t think of better solutions to a problem or an assignment with a tired mind. Thus, the more tired you are, the higher are the chances of catching up with this effect. Students must always perform challenging tasks in the morning sessions. Their energy levels are high in the morning, and they can work effectively. Thus, not working when tired is a healthy practice in struggling to avoid cognitive bias.
Take breaks from the problem
Breaks can potentially benefit you a lot to work on a problem effectively. Everyone knows that students are not machines that can work 24/7 without breaks. The human mind needs rest and breaks from hectic daily routines. Such breaks while solving assignments can reduce the Einstellung effect a lot.
Many studies show that the best ideas come when you think in solitude by taking little breaks from work. Those little breaks let students think of alternative solutions in an effective way. The breaks can be of any type. For example, you go out with your pet and take a walk while thinking about the actual problem. You will be amazed many people think while taking a shower. Regardless of the activity you perform, breaks are necessary.
Adopting a beginner’s mind
“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert’s there are few.” A Japanese Buddhist, Suzuki Roshi, said it beautifully to explain the importance of a beginner’s mind. Every human can’t know all the things. This Einstellung effect also appears when students think they know everything. In reality, they don’t know anything about the problem. Therefore, adopting a beginner’s mind is the best practice. Always look at things with a beginner’s mind: curious and searching for knowledge.
Conclusion
Students must admit that the Einstellung effect exists. It traps them when the previous knowledge of things prevents them from considering other options. Students become fixated on one solution and start thinking of it as the only possible solution. The steps mentioned above are the proven steps to avoid this dreaded effect. Practice them and enjoy working on your assignments.