Trial-and-error method
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Trial-and-error (also known in computer science literature as "generate-and-test model") is a method of problem solving based on experience with no explicit use of insight or theory building.
Put simply, one selects a possible answer, applies it to the problem and, if it is not successful, generates another possibility that is subsequently tried. This approach is most successful with simple problems and in games, and is often resorted to when no apparent rule applies. This does not mean that the approach need be careless for an individual can be methodical in manipulating the variables in an effort to sort through possibilities that may result in success. However, this method is often used by people who have little knowledge in the problem area.
This approach can be seen as one of the two basic approaches to problem solving and is contrasted with an approach using insight and theory.
| This page uses content from the English-language version of Wikipedia. The original article was at Trial-and-error method. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Psychology Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
