Problem solving by experts and novices in chemistry: analysis of errors, run times and parameters of eye movements

Background. Professional experience is one of the most discussed problems in modern labor psychology. Researchers are trying to expose and describe the system of cognitive and metacognitive skills and abilities, which gives an advantage to experienced professionals. However, there is still a sufficient number of contradictions and unexplored aspects.

The aim of the study is to identify specific features of problem solving by chemists at different levels of professional experience by analyzing performance indicators and eye movements.

Techniques and sampling.The pilot study involved 35 experts and novices in the field of chemistry. They were asked to read descriptions, find errors and fill in gaps in chemical process diagrams. The tasks were based on technological regulations for the production of chemical products. We recorded the run time, errors and indicators of eye movements with the SMI Hi-Speed contactless video recording system with a 1200 Hz frequency.

The results showed that the run time and the number of errors were significantly lower for experts than for novices. In addition, the two groups featured significant differences in the average duration of blinking, indicating a higher emotional stress among novices. Other eye movement differences demonstrated that experts tend to favor focal type of cognitive processing. This is revealed in longer fixations, short and slow saccades. Also, the experts were characterized by an uneven distribution of attention and cognitive efforts relative to different parts of the task and by a smaller number of transitions between them. The general analysis showed that experts, solving problems, rely more on mental representations and previous knowledge, while novices are guided by the information presented on the slides.

Conclusions. The data demonstrate the superiority of experts in solving chemical problems and reveal the cognitive structure of professional experience.

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