Advances in Cognitive Systems (2015) 1-16 Submitted 2/2015; published Problem Solving through Successive Decomposition

We present a theory that aims to reproduce the fundamental characteristics of human problem solving, including the ability to use a diverse range of strategies and to incorporate domain expertise when available. To begin, we discuss some known features of problem solving and propose several theoretical assumptions to account for them. Next, we introduce HPS, a hierarchical problem solver that implements these postulates. We describe the system’s core structures and processes, and, in each case, explain how they serve our high-level aims. We then describe the different forms of knowledge that can modulate HPS’s behavior. To demonstrate that the system accomplishes our objectives, we report three sets of experiments. We conclude by discussing related research and proposing avenues for future study. 1