Public Relations Problem Solving: Heuristics and Expertise

This study examines one of the threats to successful problem solving identified by cognitive psychologists: error induced by the problem solver's use of heuristics. The 3 factors comprising expertise (experience, education, and training) are considered in a controlled experiment involving conjunction-rule problems framed in a public relations context. A novel approach to measuring expertise is used and discussed in this study. Training was found to significantly affect error rate. whereas experience and education, as operationalized in this study, had no effect. Implications for cognitive researchers are discussed. as are more pragmatic concerns for those interested in studying problem solving.