Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

ATP Software Tools for Problem Solving Research

On this web page you can find tools and simulation scenarios for problem solving research developed and used by our group (ATP). Unless stated otherwise, the tools are freely available for personal and non-commercial academic research use. If you would like to obtain a copy or are interested in finding out more about specific tools, please contact the maintainer listed on the tool page directly.


Plan-a-DayHD

Plan-a-Day is a computer-based scheduling task framed in workplace semantics that requires participants to schedule a list of work-related activities (e.g., picking up mail at the post office or checking inventory at a warehouse) while considering various constraints about when, where, and for what duration the activities have to be carried out. The difficulty of each Plan-a-Day problem is determined by the number of tasks to be scheduled and the number and interaction of constraints that need to be considered. An adapted version of this task used for cognitive training is available from Schuhfried (Austria). → More ...

TailorshopHD

The Tailorshop simulation is a computer-based dynamic decision making task in which participants lead a fictional company that produces and sells shirts. Participants have to manage the business for twelve simulated months by manipulating several variables like the number of workers or the expenses for advertising. After the interventions for one simulated month have been completed, the state of the company is calculated and displayed by the program. The test consists of an exploration phase of six simulated months and a control phase of twelve simulated months. The total duration of the test including instructions is 20 - 30 minutes. → More ...

MicroDYNHD

The MicroDYN approach was developed under a psychometric perspective for the use in large-scale assessments like PISA (see Greiff, Wüstenberg, & Funke, 2012). Actually, it consists of a set of “items” which each consists of a small system of causal relations that has to be explored within 3-4 minutes and afterwards controlled for given goal states. The main feature of MicroDYN seems to us the search for minimal complex systems, that is, systems which at the same time contain all (or at least most) of the features of a complex system (complexity, dynamics, polytely, intransparency; see Funke, 1991) and do have lowest values on these parameters. The MicroDYN approach uses the formalism of linear structural equations to model systems with continuous variables (see Funke, 2001).

→ More ...

InboxHD

The computer-based in-basket-simulation InBox HD was designed for both experimental research and psychometric application. Within the simulation the test taker is presented with a set of mails he or she has to work on. Adequate decisions require integrated and holistic thinking as some mails are related to each other. The relations were designed care fully, so there are multiple independent clusters of mails. Some mails are occupational, some are private, and each mail can be solved with general knowledge (and knowledge about other mails).→ More ...

FloodHD

In the "Flood" simulation the participant is a member of a crisis management team whose goal is to protect the small town village “Mühlhausen” from an imminent river flood. The other members of the team are computer-simulated agents who the participant can communicate with using computer-based chat. The participant takes the role of a volunteer whose tasks consist in calculating the amount of sandbags needed to prevent the inundation of the town, planning the timbering of the sandbags and organizing the evacuation of the historic part of the town. In order to reach these goals the participant has different tools available as for example a chat room in order to communicate with the other team members, a variety of electronic information documents, a notepad, and a calculator. → More ...

Car ParkHD

Car Park is an adaptation of the popular puzzle game Rush Hour™. Move the blocking cars out of the way, so that the red car can leave he car park. We are currently investigating the suitability of Car Park as a tool for research and neuropsychological assessment and a possible alternative to the widely used Tower of London. Due to copyright restrictions this tool can only be provided to researchers affiliated with acknowledged research institutions in countries where research use of copyrighted material is considered fair use. To play the game online please visit the website of the manufacturer Thinkfun or buy a copy of the puzzle at Amazon (recommended, it is really fun!). → More ...
Last modified: 2013-09-10