Annotations and thoughts on "problem space"

Link to high-resolution of above diagram.

In applying all this recent reading about cognitive science, I think I may have found the "object" that is really worth studying.

Typically, problem solving goes this way (and this is rather simplified, but should suffice): we perceive a state of things that may be non functional or may simply be something different from the ideal state, or goal state. Take, for example, an untied shoelace. We have an image of what the state of a tied shoelace is like, but it's rather inaccurate and malleable, we can imagine, in our heads, the basic features of a tied shoelace, but drawing it precisely would be impossible. So we have our untied shoelaces, and a goal state of tied shoelaces in our minds.

We then create a "problem space" where, at one end, is the current state, and at the other end is the goal state, with a space for intermediate states in between. Our mind, applying a general idea of how to get from one space to the other, fills in steps, or intermediate states, in what one might call slots in this problem space.

In relating this to the internet, it becomes much more interesting. If A is just tying his shoelaces, this problem space exists only within A's head. If A is trying to learn how to tie a bow tie, and asks C in the hallway before the party how to do it, the boundaries of the problem space extend through the real world and into C's mind. C retrieves the intermediate states from his own expertise, imparts these to A, placing the states in the slots in the common problem space, tailored by C's knowledge of A and what is most likely to get A to understand this.

If A instead goes on the internet, all of the sudden the problem space expands to include E, F, G, etc, and the intermediate operators can come from a variety of sources. The individual actors become less important, what does become more important is A's framing of the problem, both within his own mind and in the operators he uses to search for the intermediate space, as they will tremendously affect A's ability to find, or not find, relevant intermediate stages.