Ariel Katz B 00318872 Question Would experts using the Generic Parts Technique GPT perform better than experts not using the GPT and would novices using the GPT perform better than experts not using the GPT Logic The Generic Parts Technique as described by Professor Tony McCaffrey in Innovation Relies on the Obscure A Key to Overcoming the Classic Problem of Functional Fixedness instructs individuals to constantly ask themselves two questions when solving a functional fixedness problem The first is Can this be decomposed further The second question is Does this description imply use McCaffery 2012 Given that these questions probe a participant to explore all the possible uses for a object one would therefore presume that if one is an expert about the uses of a provided object than the purpose of the Generic Parts Technique is already implemented within the participants knowledge All the objects uses would already be known to the expert Moreover experts possess more knowledge about their field than novices Bedard Chi 1992 experts knowledge is organized differently from novices Chi 1981 and experts spend more time analyzing problems compared to novices Lesgold 1988 All these factors about experts should presumably lead to a functional fixedness problem solving propensity greater than novices within the range of an experts expertise There are two possible significant outcomes The first is if experts using the GPT perform better than expert not using the GPT and the second is if novices using the GPT perform better than experts not using the GPT If both groups that the GPT is used perform the best than the GPT is proven empirically valid Method There are four groups in this study 1 experts not using the GPT 2 experts using the GPT 3 novices using the GPT 4 novices not using the GPT Half of these experts will be told to solve the problem and the other half will be taught the GPT and then told to solve the problem using the technique For the novice groups one group will be told to solve the problem and the other will be taught the GPT then told to solve the problem while implementing the GPT Predicted Results The prediction is the experts using the GPT would perform the best out of all four groups followed by novices using the GPT experts not using the GPT than novices not using the GPT Predicted Interpretation The fact that the groups that implemented the GPT performed better than the groups that did not use the GPT is a product of at least two factors Two hypothesis for this are for the novice group not using GPT it was proven in prior studies that GPT use increases aptitude for functional fixedness tasks thus novices should predictably perform worse without the GPT McCaffery 2012 As for experts performing worse than novices using the GPT it has been proved that an experts extensive knowledge could lead to close mindedness and lack of flexible thinking which is essential to solving a fixedness task Frensch Sternberg 1989