Choosing which alternative out of those that have been identified represents the next step in problem solving. From the created list of possible alternatives, the one that most effectively and most efficiently solves the problem is generally considered to be the best solution, all other things being equal (Hopkin 2008). With a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, for instance, one would probably choose to use a table knife to extract desired amounts of peanut butter and jelly from their jars rather than shaking them upside down until the contents fall out, as this latter method would be messier, more time consuming (especially for the peanut butter), and would not assist in the spreading of these substances on the bread in the way a knife would.

Actually implementing the chosen alternative is, naturally, the next step in the problem solving process. This step can be seen as "converting a decision into...
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