Maier 1931 - Reasoning in Humans - The Solution of a Problem and its Appearance in Consciousness

Google Scholar Link

Maier, N. R. (1931). Reasoning in humans. II. The solution of a problem and its appearance in consciousness. Journal of comparative Psychology, 12(2), 181.

This paper is almost 100 years old, but utilizes such a clever experimental design! Its findings are important, but the questions that it brings up regarding how inspiration happens are very interesting as well.

Summary

This paper reports the findings of a uniquely designed problem solving experiment. In it, a subject enters a large room containing several objects (tables, chairs, extension cords, poles, ringstands, clamps, pliers). There are two cords, hung from floor to ceiling. One cord is in the center of the room and the other is near a wall. The subject is told that they need to tie the two cords together. However, if the subject held on cord in their hand, they would be unable to reach the other cord. They “could use or do anything [they] wished.”

There are three easy solutions to this problem (tying a cord to a chair halfway between the two cords, tying an extension cord to the hanging cord and thereby extending it, pulling one cord to the other using a pole), but one difficult problem (tying something to the center cord and swinging it like a pendulum) that involved some abstraction. If one of the easy solutions was presented, subjects were invited to continue until they presented the difficult solution. If a set amount of time passed without the subject discovering the difficult situation, the experimenter gave a subtle hint by walking through the room and bumping into the center hanging cord, which slightly set it in motion. Of those that solved the problem, the solution came to them 42 seconds, on average, after the “hint” had been given. Most were completely unaware of the “hint” that was given, and were unable to point to its role in their solution discovery.

Application

Consciously working through the problem normally resulted in iterative solutions. The difficult solution (seeing not a simple hanging cord but a pendulum) seemed to spring from the ether. Another study (Schooler 1993) seems to suggest that talking through problem-solving hampered insightful solution finding. We sometimes need to give our unconscious mind space to solve problems. If you have a difficult problem, sleep on it.