The aim of the book is to advance the understanding of how humans think. It seeks to do so by putting forth a theory of human problem solving, along with a body of empirical evidence that permits assessment of the theory.

Simon was educated in political science at the University of Chicago (B.A., 1936, Ph.D., 1943). Since 1949, he has been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is Richard King Mellon University Professor of Computer Science & Psychology.