The workshop will be held in English and run for two days, on August 2 and 5, 2021.

In doing research, you often face situations in which the way forward is not immediately clear: when, for example, designing a novel experiment, trying to make sense of an unusual observation or adjusting an analytical tool to novel circumstances, you need to create a new solution to make progress rather than reuse some established procedure.

Yet, given that the human brain is much better at performing routine operations than deliberately deviating from the status quo, even scientists find it occassionally difficult to respond to novel or unexpected problems in an original way. As a result, it is not unusual to experience mental blocks or fail to see a new approach to a thorny issue in one's research.

To help you gain greater flexibility in your thinking, this workshop introduces principles and techniques for resolving fuzzy situations in your research and responding to them in an imaginative manner. In particular, participants can aquire:

• an understanding of the psychological processes affecting problem-solving
• techniques for approaching any given problem from multiple perspectives
• idea-generating strategies effective for developing solutions

This workshop is open to doctoral researchers and postdocs at KIT who are KHYS members.

The workshop will be held in English and run for two days, on August 2 and 5, 2021.

Technical requirements: To participate in this workshop, you need a stable internet connection, a webcam and a microphone. Participants will receive further detailed information regarding the online-platform prior to the workshop.