The Induction Problem is a 19-item measure that assesses problem-solving ability. It was developed for a study on the use and efficacy of problem-solving techniques. Each item consists of five letter groups, and respondents must choose the different group. After completing each problem, respondents explain their choice. The four follow-up questions detect evidence of problem-solving methods: 1. Clear formulation of the problem. 2. Analysis into major variables. 3. Application of past experience. 4. Other methods of attack.
Burack, Benjamin. (1950). The nature and efficacy of methods of attack on reasoning problems. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, Vol 64(7), i-26. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0093625
| Items | ||||
| In the five groups of letters below, notice that four of the groups have something in common. The one which is not like the other has been marked. | ||||
| YLNPJ | XBPZR | YNTFH | YRGSW | YHDLY |
| Four of the groups begin with the letter Y. The one which does not begin with Y is marked. Look at the next problem. | ||||
| AAXVP | FNTBB | HQTQX | JDSWR | MECTE |
| Four of the groups have a repeated letter. The first, second, third, and fifth groups have the letters AA, BB, QQ, and EE respectively. The fourth group does not have a repeated letter. It is unlike the other groups so it is marked. | ||||
| Work the next two problems. Put a mark under the group which is different in each case. | ||||
| ABCDE | XYZPS | EFGHI | CXVTN | PJKLM |
| EDCBA | VWXYZ | IHGFE | JKLMN | SBTGK |
| In the first problem four of the groups have letters occurring in alphabetical order. You should have put a mark under the fourth group. | ||||
| In the second problem four of the groups are in alphabetical order, left to right or right to left. The fifth group should be marked. | ||||
| Look at the next two problems. Try to find which one should be marked. | ||||
| BDHQX | SDAPZ | GXMOT | LEZTQ | NXUFS |
| KCUPE | FZEGO | UMBXA | APIQT | LNUKH |
| In the first problem four of the groups each contain a vowel. The first group should be marked. In the second problem four of the groups have two vowels. Group five should have been marked. Now work the next two problems. In each case put a mark under the group which is different. | ||||
| JPIDX | KPHMA | LPZSU | MPLJE | NPRWO |
| PZDDD | SSSPB | JPPPN | HNNNX | BQBFB |
| In the first problem four of the groups have the vowel in the last place. The first group should be marked. | ||||
| In each group of the second problem there is a letter occurring three times. In four of the groups the three identical letters are together. The last group should be marked. | ||||
| Work the problems which follow. | ||||
| 1. VBCDF | WQRSH | XIJKF | YLMNF | ZABCF |
| 2. ELMNE | FABCF | GOPQG | HZTMH | IVWXI |
| 3. LGBGM | TBKAK | ZDNEN | FRLLC | VPSPW |
| 4. XVTQZ | BFDHJ | HDFBJ | JBFDH | HJFBD |
| 5. BCAHV | BCOHV | DZELM | DKILM | DTCLM |
| 6. FCRCT | CJCCL | CPCSC | CCRCQ | CKCFC |
| 7. BWBRB | BBCBS | RBMBB | BNBBV | XBBZB |
| 8. BQHTM | AUIEO | ZDKRN | TMPZB | HXKQN |
| 9. EFGHI | EDCBA | UTSRQ | ALRXI | OPQRS |
| 10. CEDGH | FAGHB | DKCES | LMCED | MPCEK |
| 11. CFAGG | PESRP | VROVF | NOMSN | PROTS |
| 12. ONMLK | LKJIH | UTSRQ | GKMOQ | HGFED |
| 13. ALMNA | PBCDP | EVRHE | UJKLU | IDVLI |
| 14. CCPPR | MSSMR | TRRTR | JNNJR | WWDDR |
| 15. BSQVM | TDPDX | GHGRG | FPSFR | MPMBM |
| 16. ACTRM | ABSPQ | CDTGH | PQBXY | MNCST |
| 17. JKLMV | BPQRS | KNWXY | BODQT | CXTRF |
| 18. FGHLM | CDFGH | JKMNO | STVWX | PQSTU |
| 19. VMSAT | DGMSB | SPLOM | QTMSC | MSDHP |
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). Induction Problem. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/induction-problem/
Mohammed looti. "Induction Problem." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 3 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/induction-problem/.
Mohammed looti. "Induction Problem." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/induction-problem/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'Induction Problem', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/induction-problem/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Induction Problem," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. Induction Problem. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.