'Islamia College Peshawar - Department of Psychology'
Abstract
Bibliography: leaves 151-164.Insight has enjoyed the reputation of an elusive phenomenon in psychology and insight problems are very difficult to solve. Only very specific hints concerning their solution have been found to significantly increase the number of problem solvers who are able to solve insight problems. The result of this has been to suggest that insight does not exist, that it is a mysterious phenomenon, or that it is an aspect of problem solving which we have so far failed to understand. Insight in problem solving is investigated from the perspective that the phenomenon needs explanation and it is argued that, while insight has been operationally defined and a clear set of key empirical findings have been established, the conceptual explanation of insight has been largely ignored. It is suggested that a conceptual account of insight is needed so that this aspect of cognitive processing can be incorporated into the main body of cognitive research on problem solving. The current tension in cognitive science and cognitive psychology is examined and it is argued that writing a conceptual account of insight in neural network theoretical terms will not only advance our understanding of insight, but will also reflect on the debate in cognitive theory. This is a result of its status as an aspect of problem solving and as a phenomenon which symbolic theory has so far failed to offer a clear explanation for. A conceptual account of insight in neural network terms is advanced which offers a comprehensive account of the key empirical findings on insight. It is suggested that insight can be understood as the recognition of a pattern to insight problems. Predictions derived from the theory suggest that overcoming the effects of past learning, employing conceptual transfer, and fostering expertise at insight problem solving will significantly facilitate insightful problem solution
