ABSTRACT
The work of Karl Duncker has recently been rediscovered. In particular, cognitive psychologists have praised Duncker's 1945 monograph on problem solving and thinking, viewing it as a seminal contribution that is directly relevant to current work in the field. Newell observed that the third section, on functional fixedness, has generated the most attention among psychologists. Dunckets work on pain, the effect of past experience on the apparent taste of chocolate, and apparent motions are not instances of muddy speculation or mystical vagueness. He is recognized today for his creative work in problem solving, cognitive psychology, and the psychology of the perception of apparent movement, and deserves to be recognized as well for his work on pain, the role of past experience in perception, systematic psychology, phenomenology, and motivation. In the German system, aspiring academics were required to produce a second major work after the doctoral dissertation, the habilitation thesis.
