I just can’t figure it out: The story of insight

The Gestalt psychologists also introduced the idea that restructuring is associated with insight–the sudden realization of a problem’s solution, according to Goldstein. Insight can be a major factor in solving problems. At first it feels like you are stuck and can’t quite figure out a solution, then all of a sudden a light bulb goes off. That light bulb going off can possibly be due to insight. Janet Metcalfe and David Wiebe did an experiment to differentiate between insight problems and noninsight problems.  They believed if a person was completing an insight problem they should not know if they are close to a solution. “They predicted that participants working on an insight problem, in which the answer appears suddenly, should not be very good at predicting how near they are to a solution. Participants working on a noninsight problem, which involves a more methodical process, would be more likely to know when they are getting closer to the solution,” according to Goldstein. During the experiment they gave participants insight and noninsight problems and had them make judgments of warmth during 15 second intervals. One of the insight problems was a pyramid of dots, and you can only move three dots so the pyramid pointed downward.  And for noninsight problems people were given an algebra problem. The results showed that people with insight problems had a flat line and no increase in warmth during the 15 second intervals. Which mean they were unable to predict that their progression in finding a solution for the problem, then in the last 15 seconds they arrived at a solution.  Whereas the noninsight which was the algebra problem people had steady increase in warmth, meaning they were progressing to a solution.

Have you ever played a game of chess and gave up because for the life of you were unable to figure the next move you should take. Or even a game of dominos has this occurred to you? You take a break and start watching TV, an hour goes by and you realize what move you need to make next. This is the power of insight, without reason the solution pops into your head out of nowhere. Another example could be a crossword puzzle, you could be baffled for hours, then when you least expect it the answer magically pops into your head, again the power of insight. Insight occurs in every facet of life, it can occur during a science lab, board games, video games, or even exercise. Experiences when I have insight are typically while I try to answer riddles, for the life of me I am typically baffled. But once I stop trying and focus my attention on something else the answer out of nowhere comes to me. I do graphic design from time to time to assist friends. I was working on one specific project for a friend which was a CD Cover, initially everything was flowing, I had a vision and I just had to execute it. While creating the CD cover I ran into a problem with the quality of one of the images. I couldn’t figure out how to fix it, I did a googled search to find an image similar to it but failed to find an image similar. I even attempted to recreate the image, but it wasn’t working to well. I changed the file size to see if it would help. I tried playing with the levels, contrast, and curves, but nothing was helping. I didn’t want to disturb my friend so I continue to look for a solution. I sat at the computer for hours then finally gave up. The next day I awaken and a solution pops into my head as I am brushing my teeth getting ready for work. I did not dream about the project nor spoken to anyone in regards to the project.  I realized I had to set the file to a higher resolution, and utilize the clone tool to blend the pixels so the image appeared crisper.

Goldstein, B. (2011). Cognitive Psychology: Connecting Mind, Research and Everyday Experience, 3rd Edition. Wadsworth, Inc.

One thought on “I just can’t figure it out: The story of insight

  1. nfe5014

    It’s funny to think of how or where we are when we have that “Aha” moment. For most of us, it’s when we least expect it just like you (while brushing your teeth). The “Aha” moment in psychology has also been described as the “Eureka Effect” which holds the same idea in mind and focuses on the theory of insight. I know that our chapters in the book went into pretty good detail about people and insight but I was able to find an interesting article on insight and animals. Though it may be measured differently than with humans, surprisingly, dogs have been found to have that “eureka” moment as well. According to an article in Psychology Today, “Do Dogs Have a “Eureka” Feeling When Solving Problems”, a team of Swedish scientists used 12 female beagles to see if dogs have the same effect we see in Humans.
    There were 6 tasks that the dogs could be trained on. Simple tasks such as pressing a paddle to ring a bell, pushing a box off the stack, pressing a lever etc. Each dog was only trained on 3 out of the 6 tasks. With each task that was completed correctly, a gate would open that led the dogs to a reward of food. The dogs were given one week off after training before the experiment started. Two types of experiments where done. Some dogs were tested on tasks that they had performed before and some were tested on tasks they had not been faced yet. The scientist used the measure of activity levels as “insight.” Positive response such as tail wagging was higher with the dogs that were not familiar with a task but were able to solve the problem for the gate to open toward the reward. The scientists noted the higher activity levels in those specific dogs as demonstrating having that “Eureka Effect.”
    Dogs may not get that “aha” moment while they are brushing their teeth or watching tv but it is interesting that their behavior and level of activity can be measured to show they too are smart enough to have insight with problem solving.

    Reference:
    Coren, S. (2013, October 15). Do Dogs Have a “Eureka” Feeling When Solving Problems? Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201310/do-dogs-have-eureka-feeling-when-solving-problems

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