Working memory demands in insight versus analytic problem solving

Abstract Working memory is one of the cognitive processes thought to differentiate insight and analytic forms of problem solving. The present research examined memory involvement in the solution of insight versus analytic problems. Participants completed verbal and spatial working memory and short-term memory measures and a series of analytic and insight problems. Results demonstrated a relationship between working-memory capacity and the solution of analytic problems and between verbal short-term memory capacity and the solution of insight problems. This distinction was generally though not universally supported when memory was examined in relation to individual problems. Memory involvement in insight problem solving was further examined to clarify whether restructuring in insight is the end result of active memory search or spontaneous processes. The present research supports the theory that differences exist in the cognitive processes underlying insight versus analytic problem solving, and provides support for the spontaneous theory of restructuring in insight. Acknowledgements Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, grant R01 DC-04818. This paper is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted at Temple University. I would like to thank John Kounios, Robert Weisberg, Christopher Ramey, Aureliu Lavric, and an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. I would also like to thank Mai Vue and Carole Showell for their assistance in coding these data.