Cue-Readiness in Insight Problem-Solving

Abstract

This paper explores a mechanism underlying cue- readiness in insight problem-solving. Cue-readiness is concerned with situations where previously neglected in- formation suddenly and unexpectedly becomes illumina- tive. From the view point of dynamic constraint relax- ation theory (Suzuki & Hiraki, 1997), this can be ex- plained by constraint relaxation caused by noticing fail- ures. The theory predicts that constraint violations in- crease during the problem-solving process, and that a specific combination of constraint violations takes place which leads people to an insight. In this paper, we exam- ined the time-course differences of frequencies of con- straint violations, and of sensitivity to the crucial infor- mation using a rating task. Although Experiment 1 did not provide supporting evidence, in Experiment 2 we found increased frequency of constraint violations during problem-solving, and that subjects who experienced more failure were more sensitive to crucial information. These results are discussed in terms of other theories of insight.