Working Memory Facilitates Insight Instead of Hindering It: Comment on Decaro, Van Stockum, and Wieth (2016)
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| Title: | Working Memory Facilitates Insight Instead of Hindering It: Comment on Decaro, Van Stockum, and Wieth (2016) |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chuderski, Adam, Jastrzebski, Jan |
| Source: | Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. Dec 2017 43(12):1993-2004. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2017 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Short Term Memory, Intuition, Correlation, Problem Solving, Accuracy, Creative Thinking, Replication (Evaluation), Educational Experiments, Barriers, Prediction, Task Analysis, Cognitive Processes, Foreign Countries, Statistical Analysis, Factor Analysis |
| Geographic Terms: | Poland |
| DOI: | 10.1037/xlm0000409 |
| ISSN: | 0278-7393 |
| Abstract: | The "nothing-special" account of insight predicts positive correlations of insight problem solving and working memory capacity (WMC), whereas the "special-process" account expects no, or even negative, correlations. In the latter vein, DeCaro, Van Stockum Jr., and Wieth (2016) have recently reported weak negative WMC correlations with 2 constraint relaxation matchstick problems and 3 insight problems, and thus they claim that WM hinders insight. Here, we report on 3 studies that investigated WMC and various matchstick and classical problems (including 1 study that precisely replicated DeCaro et al.'s procedure). All 3 studies yielded moderate positive correlations of WMC with both the constraint relaxation and the classical problems. WMC explained 10% variance in problem solving, no matter what problems were used or how they were applied. Thus, DeCaro et al.'s claim that WM hinders insight is unwarranted. The opposite is true: WM facilitates insight. [This article is a commentary on "When Higher Working Memory Capacity Hinders Insight," EJ1086953.] |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 42 |
| Entry Date: | 2017 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1163716 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The "nothing-special" account of insight predicts positive correlations of insight problem solving and working memory capacity (WMC), whereas the "special-process" account expects no, or even negative, correlations. In the latter vein, DeCaro, Van Stockum Jr., and Wieth (2016) have recently reported weak negative WMC correlations with 2 constraint relaxation matchstick problems and 3 insight problems, and thus they claim that WM hinders insight. Here, we report on 3 studies that investigated WMC and various matchstick and classical problems (including 1 study that precisely replicated DeCaro et al.'s procedure). All 3 studies yielded moderate positive correlations of WMC with both the constraint relaxation and the classical problems. WMC explained 10% variance in problem solving, no matter what problems were used or how they were applied. Thus, DeCaro et al.'s claim that WM hinders insight is unwarranted. The opposite is true: WM facilitates insight. [This article is a commentary on "When Higher Working Memory Capacity Hinders Insight," EJ1086953.] |
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| ISSN: | 0278-7393 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/xlm0000409 |
