ABSTRACT
Should researchers determine how a person has solved a problem by the characteristics of the problem or by the report of the solver? On the one hand, researchers often operate from the position that characteristics of problems make them solvable only with insight or only with analysis, thus the problem defines the type of solution possible. On the other hand, there is ample evidence that this assumption is not true, and that the problem solver is in a better position to categorize their solution than the researcher. We examine the question of whether solvers’ self-reports should be used to operationally define insight solutions and examine evidence from neuroimaging and behavioral studies that might shed light on an answer.
