The advantage of novel solutions on subsequent memory in insight problems

Insight during problem solving is beneficial to long-term memory formation. It has been shown to promote later memory for the solution; however, the reason for this memory effect is unclear. We used eye tracking to test the memory effect of insight on delayed recall (Experiment 1) and immediate recall (Experiment 2) when participants selected novel or normal answers to riddles. Both experiments adopted the learning-test paradigm of answer selection. In the learning phase, four alternative answers to a riddle were presented on screen. Eye tracking recorded the fixation duration time on each alternative answer to evaluate the competition of thoughts in the process of problem solving. Delayed and immediate recall were assessed by asking the participants to provide the same answers to the riddles as they had in the learning phase. The results showed that (a) Whether in immediate or delayed recall tasks, the accuracy was higher after selecting novel answers than normal answers, confirming the memory advantage of insight. This effect was more obvious in the delayed recall task. (b) There was a longer total fixation duration time when selecting a novel answer than a normal answer. This suggests that novel answers have an advantage in the competition of thoughts. (c) Compared with selecting normal answers, selecting novel answers involved significantly longer fixation on the target region of interest, and significantly less attention on the main interference region. The results of this research suggest that the competitive advantage of novel thinking in problem solving may be an important reason why insight promotes memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)