Is Insight Always the Same? A Protocol Analysis of Insight in Compound Remote Associate Problems

Cranford, Edward A.; Moss, Jarrod

doi:10.7771/1932-6246.1129

Cited by 89 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Although Mednick first created the RAT to require broad activation and retrieval of distant associations, the present study adds to a number of other studies that have shown that RAT items may actually be solved either via more or less analytic approaches (see for example Cranford & Moss, 2012). It may certainly be the case that RAT problem solving can…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 49%

Firing the Executive: When an Analytic Approach to Problem Solving Helps and Hurts

Aiello¹,

Jarosz²,

Cushen³

et al. 2012

The Journal of Problem Solving

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Abstract:There is a general assumption that a more controlled or more focused attentional state is beneficial for most cognitive tasks. However, there has been a growing realization that creative problem solving tasks, such as the Remote Associates Task (RAT), may benefit from a less controlled solution approach. To test this hypothesis, in a 2x2 design, we manipulated whether solvers were given the RAT before or after an implicit learning task. We also varied whether they were told to "use their gut" as part of either initial task. The results suggest that a less analytic approach engendered by a "use your gut" instruction benefits performance on the RAT for monolingual solvers. The same benefit was not found for bilingual speakers suggesting that more controlled solution processes may be needed when speakers with multiple lexicons perform this task, which relies heavily on accessing common phrases in a particular language.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 49%

Firing the Executive: When an Analytic Approach to Problem Solving Helps and Hurts

Aiello¹,

Jarosz²,

Cushen³

et al. 2012

The Journal of Problem Solving

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show abstract

“…In other words, if individuals retrieve incorrect solutions initially, further work will often lead to repeated retrieval of the incorrect solutions, making it harder to think of new solutions. Such results have been shown in protocol studies (Cranford & Moss, 2012;Moss, Kotovsky, & Cagan, 2011).…”

Section: Problem Solving and The Persistence Of Fixationsupporting

confidence: 71%

Interrupted: The roles of distributed effort and incubation in preventing fixation and generating problem solutions

2016

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Fixation on inappropriate concepts is a key barrier to problem solving. Previous research has shown that continuous work is likely to cause repeated retrieval of those concepts, resulting in increased fixation. Accordingly, distributing effort across problems through multiple, brief, and interlaced sessions (distributed effort) should prevent such fixation and in turn enhance problem solving. This study examined whether distributed effort can provide an advantage for problem solving, particularly for problems that can induce fixation (Experiment 1), and whether and how incubation can be combined with distributed effort to further enhance performance (Experiment 2). Remote Associates Test (RAT) problems were used as the problem-solving tasks. Half of them (i.e., misleading RAT) were more likely to mislead individuals to fixate on incorrect associates than the other half. Experiments revealed a superiority of distributed over massed effort on misleading RAT performance and a differing time course of incubation for the massed and distributed groups. We conclude that distributed effort facilitates problem solving, most likely via overcoming fixation. Cognitive mechanisms other than the commonly posited forgetting of inappropriate ideas may occur during incubation to facilitate problem solving.The experiments in this article offer support for the occurrence of spreading activation during incubation.

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“…Only problems correctly solved were analyzed (participants also provided incorrect solutions on an additional 10.2 % [SD=9.9 %] of the trials; 22.1 % [SD=24.5 %] of the incorrect solutions were labeled as insights). For the preparation period, we analyzed all problems solved in more than 2 s, since these are thought to accurately reflect both insight and analytic solving (e.g., Cranford & Moss, 2012). For the onset and solution periods, to avoid any overlap across the two analysis periods (2 s each), we analyzed just those problems solved in more than 4 s (M=70.7 %, SD=13.6 %, of all solutions).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sudden insight is associated with shutting out visual inputs

et al. 2015

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Creative ideas seem often to appear when we close our eyes, stare at a blank wall, or gaze out of a window-all signs of shutting out distractions and turning attention inward. Prior research has demonstrated that attention-related brain areas are differently active when people solve problems with sudden insight (the Aha! phenomenon), relative to deliberate, analytic solving. We directly investigated the relationship between attention deployment and problem solving by recording eye movements and blinks, which are overt indicators of attention, as people solved short, visually presented problems. In the preparation period, before problems eventually solved by insight, participants blinked more frequently and longer, and made fewer fixations, than before problems eventually solved by analysis. Immediately prior to solutions, participants blinked longer and looked away from the problem more often when solving by insight than when solving analytically. These phenomena extend prior research with a direct demonstration of dynamic differences in attention as people solve problems with sudden insight versus analytically.

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Is Insight Always the Same? A Protocol Analysis of Insight in Compound Remote Associate Problems

Cited by 89 publications

References 37 publications

Firing the Executive: When an Analytic Approach to Problem Solving Helps and Hurts

Firing the Executive: When an Analytic Approach to Problem Solving Helps and Hurts

Interrupted: The roles of distributed effort and incubation in preventing fixation and generating problem solutions

Sudden insight is associated with shutting out visual inputs

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