What about False Insights? Deconstructing the Aha! Experience along Its Multiple Dimensions for Correct and Incorrect Solutions Separately

Abstract

The subjective Aha! experience that problem solvers often report when they find a solution has been taken as a marker for insight. If Aha! is closely linked to insightful solution processes, then theoretically, an Aha! should only be experienced when the correct solution is found. However, little work has explored whether the Aha! experience can also accompany incorrect solutions (“false insights”). Similarly, although the Aha! experience is not a unitary construct, little work has explored the different dimensions that have been proposed as its constituents. To address these gaps in the literature, 70 participants were presented with a set of difficult problems (37 magic tricks), and rated each of their solutions for Aha! as well as with regard to Suddenness in the emergence of the solution, Certainty of being correct, Surprise, Pleasure, Relief, and Drive. Solution times were also used as predictors for the Aha! experience. This study reports three main findings: First, false insights exist. Second, the Aha! experience is multidimensional and consists of the key components Pleasure, Suddenness and Certainty. Third, although Aha! experiences for correct and incorrect solutions share these three common dimensions, they are also experienced differently with regard to magnitude and quality, with correct solutions emerging faster, leading to stronger Aha! experiences, and higher ratings of Pleasure, Suddenness, and Certainty. Solution correctness proffered a slightly different emotional coloring to the Aha! experience, with the additional perception of Relief for correct solutions, and Surprise for incorrect ones. These results cast some doubt on the assumption that the occurrence of an Aha! experience can serve as a definitive signal that a true insight has taken place. On the other hand, the quantitative and qualitative differences in the experience of correct and incorrect solutions demonstrate that the Aha! experience is not a mere epiphenomenon. Strong Aha! experiences are clearly, but not exclusively linked to correct solutions.

When the Solution Is on the Doorstep: Better Solving Performance, but Diminished Aha! Experience for Chess Experts on the Mutilated Checkerboard Problem

“…The specific pattern revealed in the questionnaire analysis highlights the importance of assessing the individual dimensions of the multifaceted Aha! experience separately, as proposed by Danek and Wiley (), instead of obtaining only one global “Aha!” measure. Key dimensions of Aha!…”

“…That the pattern for Surprise fitted the overall trend of lower ratings for chess players is in accordance with the findings of Webb et al (), although this dimension was previously reported not to be a good predictor of Aha! experiences (Danek & Wiley, ). Certainty, which in prior studies was always rated in alignment with the other dimensions (Danek & Wiley, ), showed the opposite pattern here.…”

“…experiences (Danek & Wiley, ). Certainty, which in prior studies was always rated in alignment with the other dimensions (Danek & Wiley, ), showed the opposite pattern here. At first glance, this may suggest that Certainty may not be an important dimension of the Aha!…”

“…phenomenology questionnaire about their subjective perception of the solution process, addressing the following four dimensions of the Aha! experience (adopted from Danek & Wiley, ): Suddenness (“ The solution came to me…stepwise/suddenly ”), Surprise (“ The solution came to me…surprisingly/expectedly ”), Certainty (“ I felt about the solution…uncertain/certain ” ) , and Pleasure (“ At the moment of solution, my feelings were…pleasant/ neutral ”). Answers were given on a 5‐point Likert scale (no numbers shown) with only the extremes being labeled (see Fig.…”

“…phenomenology. The role of Surprise is currently unclear, as the same study (Danek & Wiley, ) found that Surprise had the lowest correlation with Aha! compared to the other dimensions.…”