A Research Of Mechanism In Insight Problem Solving Based On The Effect Of The Executive Function

The insight problem-solving process has been proposed to involve three mainphases: an initial representation phase; a space searching phase; and a representationrestructuring phase. According to this, in insight problem solving, the researchersbelieve that the debate of the psychological mechanism focused on the representat ionrestructuring process, and this process exists two interpretations: consciousnessprocessing and unconscious processing. However, what is the essence of therestructuring process? If this essence could explain the whole insightfulproblem-solving process? This study explores the psychological mechanism of theinsightful problem-solving process from discussing the thinking processing of insight.Specifically, tow behavioral experiments and a ERPs experiments to investigate theseproblems. Experiment1study the relationship between executive functions andinsight performance. The results showed that there is a significant positive correlationbetween the executive functions and the insight problem solving, and to a certainextent, executive functions can predict individual insight scores. Experiment2explorethe role of the executive functions play in space searching and representationrestructuring phase. The results indicated among of all participants who complete theinsight problem, the high level group of executive functions spend significantlyshorter than the low one to answer the insight problem. And this affect major plays inspace searching phase, less involved in restructuring phase. In the ERPs, insightcondition significantly activates a larger P3than non-insight. This showed thatindividual puts more cognitive processing resources in insight problems. Also, thehigh level group of executive functions activates a larger P3(marginally significant),which indicates the high level group could use more attention resources in complexcognitive task. According to these findings, the insight process needs the cooperation of consciousness processing and unconscious processing. More likely, theconsciousness processing plays in space searching phase, and the restructuring phaseinvolves the unconscious processing.