Insight
Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect in a specific context. The term insight can have several related meanings:
a piece of Information
the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intuitively in Template:Wiki called noesis
an Template:Wiki
the Power of acute observation and deduction, penetration, discernment, Perception called intellection or noesis
an understanding of cause and effect based on identification of relationships and behaviors within a model, context, or scenario (see Template:Wiki)
An insight that manifests itself suddenly, such as understanding how to solve a difficult problem, is sometimes called by the Template:Wiki word Aha-Erlebnis. The term was coined by the Template:Wiki Template:Wiki and Template:Wiki linguist Karl Bühler. It is also known as an epiphany.
Psychology
Representation of the Duncker Candle Problem.
In psychology, insight occurs when a solution to a problem presents itself quickly and without warning. The phenomenon had its beginnings with Template:Wiki, in the early part of the 20th century, during the search for an alternative to associationism and the associationistic view of Template:Wiki. Some proposed potential mechanisms for insight include: suddenly seeing the problem in a new way, connecting the problem to another relevant problem/solution pair, releasing Template:Wiki experiences that are blocking the solution, or seeing problem in a larger, coherent context.
Template:Wiki: In search of solution Template:Wiki refers to active efforts to discover what must be done to achieve a goal that is not readily attainable. Problems can be categorized into tree classes; one of which is a kind of sting problem that solves problems with a burst of insight. In psychology, insight is referred to the sudden discovery of the correct solution following incorrect attempts based on trial and error
Methods
Solution to the Nine Dot problem.
Generally, Template:Wiki approaches to the study of insight in the laboratory involve presenting participants with problems and puzzles that cannot be solved in a conventional or logical manner. Problems of insight commonly fall into three types.
Breaking functional fixedness
Example of an RAT problem.
The first type of problem forces participants to use objects in a way they are not accustomed to (thus, breaking their functional fixedness), like the "Duncker candle problem". In the "Duncker candle problem", Template:Wiki are given matches and a box of tacks and asked to find a way to attach a candle to the wall to Light the room. The solution requires the participants to empty the box of tacks, set the candle inside the box, tack the box to the wall, and Light the candle with the matches.
Spatial ability
The second type of insight problem requires spatial ability to solve, like the "Nine-dot Problem". The famous "Nine-dot problem" requires participants to draw four lines, through nine dots, without picking their pencil up.
Using verbal ability
The third and final type of problem requires verbal ability to solve, like the Remote Associates Test. (RAT In the RAT, Template:Wiki must think of a word that connects three, seemingly unrelated, words. RAT are often used in experiments, because they can be solved both with and without insight.
Specific results
Insight versus non-insight problems
Two clusters of problems, those solvable by insight and those not requiring insight to solve, have been observed. An individual’s cognitive Flexibility, fluency, and vocabulary ability are predictive of performance on insight problems, but not on non-insight problems. In contrast, fluid intelligence is mildly predictive of performance on non-insight problems, but not on insight problems.
Emotion
People in a better mood are more likely to solve problems by insight. Research demonstrated that self-reported positive affect of participants uniquely increased insight before and during the solving of a problem, as indicated by differing Template:Wiki activity patterns. Interestingly, people experiencing anxiety showed the opposite effect, and solved less problems by insight.
Incubation
Using a geometric and spatial insight problem, it was found that providing participants with breaks improved their performance as compared to participants who did not receive a break.However, the length of incubation between problems did not matter. Thus, participants' performance on insight problems improved just as much with a short break (4 minutes) as it did with a long break (12 minutes).
Sleep
Research has shown sleep to help produce insight. Template:Wiki were initially trained on insight problems. Following training, one group was tested on the insight problems after sleeping for eight hours at night, one group was tested after staying awake all night, and one group was tested after staying awake all day. Those that slept performed twice as well on the insight problems than those who stayed awake.
In the Template:Wiki
Differences in Template:Wiki activation in the left and right hemisphere seem to be indicative of insight versus non-insight solutions. Using RAT’s that were either presented to the left or right visual field, it was shown that participants having solved the problem with insight were more likely to have been shown the RAT on the left visual field, indicating right hemisphere processing. This provides Template:Wiki that the right hemisphere plays a unique role in insight.
fMRI and EEG scans of participants completing RAT's demonstrated unique Template:Wiki activity corresponding to problems solved by insight. For one, there is high EEG activity in the alpha- and gamma-band about 300 milliseconds before participants indicated a solution to insight problems, but not to non-insight problems. Additionally, problems solved by insight corresponded to increased activity in the Template:Wiki lobes and mid-frontal cortex, while more activity in the posterior cortex corresponded to non-insight problems. The Template:Wiki suggests there is something different occurring in the Template:Wiki when solving insight versus non-insight problems that happens right before the solving of the problem.
See also: Eureka effect#Evidence for the Aha! effect in EEG studies
Group insight
It was found that groups typically perform better on insight problems (in the Form of rebus puzzles with either helpful or unhelpful clues) than Template:Wiki.
Example of a rebus puzzle. Answer: man overboard.
Additionally, while incubation improves insight performance for Template:Wiki, it improves insight performance for groups even more. Thus, after a 15-minute break, Template:Wiki performance improved for the rebus puzzles with unhelpful clues, and group performance improved for rebus puzzles with both unhelpful and helpful clues.
Template:Wiki differences
Personality and Gender, as they relate to performance on insight problems, was studied using a variety of insight problems. It was found that participants who ranked lower on emotionality and higher on openness to experience performed better on insight problems. Interestingly, men outperformed women on insight problems, and women outperformed men on non-insight problems.
Higher intelligence (higher Template:Wiki) has also been found to be associated with better performance on insight problems. However, those of lower intelligence benefit more than those of higher intelligence from being provided with cues and hints for insight problems.
Template:Wiki
Template:Wiki are poorer at predicting their own Template:Wiki for insight problems, than for non-insight problems. Template:Wiki were asked to indicate how "hot" or "cold" to a solution they felt. Generally, they were able to predict this fairly well for non-insight problems, but not for insight problems. This provides Template:Wiki for the suddenness involved during insight.
Template:Wiki settings
Recently, insight was studied in a non-laboratory setting. Accounts of insight that have been reported in the media, such as in interviews, etc., were examined and coded. It was found that insights that occur in the field are typically reported to be associated with a sudden "change in understanding" and with "seeing connections and contradictions" in the problem. Interestingly, it was also found that insight in nature differed from insight in the laboratory. For example, insight in nature was often rather gradual, not sudden, and incubation was not as important.
Animals
Studies on primate cognition have provided Template:Wiki of what may be interpreted as insight in Animals. In 1917, Wolfgang Köhler published the highly influential book The Mentality of Apes, having studied primates on the island of Tenerife for six years. In one of his experiments, apes were presented with an insight problem that required the use of objects in new and original ways, in order to win a prize (usually, some kind of Food). He observed that the Animals would continuously fail to get the Food, and this process occurred for quite some time; however, rather suddenly, they would purposefully use the object in the way needed to get the Food, as if the realization had occurred out of nowhere. He interpreted this Template:Wiki as something resembling insight in apes.
Theories
There are a number of theories representing insight; at Template:Wiki, no one Template:Wiki Template:Wiki interpretation.
Dual process Template:Wiki
According to the dual process Template:Wiki, there are two systems used to solve problems. The first involves logical and analytical Thought Template:Wiki based on reason, while the second involves intuitive and automatic Template:Wiki based on experience. Research has demonstrated that insight probably involves both Template:Wiki; however, the second process is more influential.
Three-process Template:Wiki
According to the three-process Template:Wiki, intelligence plays a large role in insight. Specifically, insight involves three different Template:Wiki (selective encoding, combination, and comparison), which require intelligence to apply to problems. Selective encoding is the process of focusing attention on ideas relevant to a solution, while ignoring Template:Wiki that are irrelevant. Selective combination is the process of combining the Information previously deemed relevant. Finally, selective comparison is the use of Template:Wiki experience with problems and solutions that are applicable to the current problem and solution.
Four-stage model
According to the four-stage model of insight, there are four stages to Template:Wiki. First, the Template:Wiki prepares to solve a problem. Second, the Template:Wiki incubates on the problem, which encompasses trial-and-error, etc. Third, the insight occurs, and the solution is illuminated. Finally, the verification of the solution to the problem is experienced.Since this model was proposed, other similar models have been explored that contain two or three similar stages.
Psychiatry
See also: Egodystonic, Egosyntonic, Self-awareness, and Prodrome
In psychology and psychiatry, insight can mean the ability to recognize one's own Mental Template:Wiki. This Form of insight has multiple Template:Wiki, such as recognizing the need for treatment, and recognizing Template:Wiki of one's Template:Wiki as stemming from an Template:Wiki. A person with very poor recognition or acknowledgment is referred to as having "poor insight" or "lack of insight". The most extreme Form is anosognosia, the total absence of insight into one's own Mental Template:Wiki. Many Mental illnesses are associated with varying levels of insight. For example, people with obsessive compulsive disorder and various phobias tend to have relatively good insight that they have a problem and that their thoughts and/or actions are unreasonable, yet are compelled to carry out the thoughts and actions regardless. Patients with Alzheimer's Template:Wiki, schizophrenia, and various psychotic conditions tend to have very poor awareness that anything is wrong with them.
"Insight" can also refer to other matters in psychology; Template:Wiki Template:Wiki requiring insight is the subject of insight Template:Wiki.
An insight is the derivation of a rule which links cause with effect. The Mind is a model of the Universe built up from insights.
Thoughts of the Mind fall into two categories:
Template:Wiki of Template:Wiki experience with the purpose of gaining insight for use within this model at a later date
Simulations of Template:Wiki scenarios using existing insights in the Mind model in order to predict outcomes
A mature Mind has assimilated many insights and represents a sophisticated model of the Universe. The Mind-model might be inaccurate. When insight is not subordinate to a validation discipline like the 'scientific method', 'fallacious' Thinking can result in a confused Mind.
Template:Wiki, which is often described in the popular Template:Wiki as an alternative Thought process, is merely another manifestation of insight. In this process, multiple bits of seemingly unrelated Template:Wiki are linked together and a Template:Wiki or plan of action is generated. Usually this process is generated in a Template:Wiki situation. Such a circumstance links Template:Wiki which had previously seemed unrelated. The categories and analytical process, however, are not Template:Wiki from any other Form of insight. The only difference is the Template:Wiki of novelty of the Template:Wiki.
Religion
The Pali word for "insight" is vipassana, which has been adopted as the name of a kind of Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation. Recent research indicates that Mindfulness Meditation does facilitate solving of insight problems with dosage of 20 minutes.
Marketing
Pat Conroy, points out that an insight is a statement based on a deep understanding of your target consumers' attitudes and beliefs, which connect at an emotional level with your consumer, provoking a clear response (This brand understands me! That is exactly how I feel! — even if they've never Thought about it quite like that) which, when leveraged, has the Power to change consumer Template:Wiki. Insights must affect a change in consumer Template:Wiki that benefits your brand, leading to the achievement of the marketing objective.
Insights can be based on:
Template:Wiki or perceived weakness to be exploited in competitive product performance or value
Attitudinal or perceived barrier in the minds of consumers, regarding your brand
Untapped or compelling belief or practice
Insights are most effective when they are/do one of the following:
Unexpected
Create a disequilibrium
Change momentum
Exploited via a benefit or point of difference that your brand can deliver