Understanding the Importance of Intermediate Representations in Engineering Problem-Solving

This paper describes an emerging theory on the role that representations play in engineering problem solving. Modern cognitive psychology has shown that not only do problem solvers use different representations to store information and ideas, the representation itself influences the problem-solvers’ solution approach. I extend this notion to the engineering domain, and illustrate it with an example from programmable logic controller (PLC) programming. These ideas have important implications for how educators can help students develop effective problem-solving skills.