Thus, analogies play an important role both in solving scientifi c problems and in designing new products. When we discuss creativity later in this chapter, we will describe a famous example of how analogical thinking led to the development of a well-known product. Although we understand some of the mental processes that occur as a person works toward the solution to a problem, what actually happens is still somewhat mysterious. We do know, however, that one factor that can sometimes make problem solving easier is practice or training. Some people can become very good at solving certain kinds of problems because they become experts in an area. We will now consider what it means to be an expert and how being an expert affects problem solving.