Insight learning, what does it consist of?

Learning by insight It defines those situations in which we suddenly find the solution to a certain problem. This extraordinary process integrates prior knowledge, induction, deduction and those approaches based on trial-error in which at a given moment we have our own “eureka” moment, like Archimedes in his bathtub.

We all know these experiences. Even more, Anyone who is dedicated to teaching or has helped others solve something specific will have seen that feeling in the other person.… That of suddenly discovering something and realizing that the problem was much easier than initially thought.

This sudden, effective and useful understanding of a specific situation defines a highly valuable type of learning.. After all, few things are more enriching than managing to get out of a crossroads successfully and in a simple way, by ourselves and through perception.

What is insight learning?

When we talk about learning insight It is common to visualize a person with a light bulb on their head. It is an iconic way of representing that sudden spark that gives light to a mental scenario where someone suddenly finds the solution. However, it is important to highlight one fact: that sudden understanding of a problem never comes from nowhere.

The theory of learning insight was created by Gordon Bower, a cognitive psychologist expert in human memory. Although the truth is that the Gestalt psychological school was more interested in this approach. Wolfgang Köhler, one of its founders, showed that primates also have their moments eureka.

Now, this learning is not as automatic or magical as it seems, since it responds to a wide series of processes, such as previous experiences, introspection, imagination, connection, inference, etc. Nothing is left to chance.

The sudden understanding, the “golden moment” of the higher species

Suddenly, we see clearly that statistics problem or we know how to fix the computer problem. Is magic? Have we been blessed by the muses of mathematics or technology? Absolutely.

Sudden understanding dawns on us after the brain has constantly gone through a series of complex steps.

Learning by insight It is carried out consciously, but also unconsciously. One can test one’s theories by trial and error over and over again without rest, but sometimes when we relax, solutions come out of nowhere into our minds, like the apple that suddenly falls on Newton’s head.

We are faced with active and creative learning that knows how to connect with previous experiences and with the information available to infer solutions. This approach is typical of the most open and receptive minds that observe, analyze, infer and let the subconscious also work for itself.

The steps of learning insight

Learning by insight It is built through a series of very dynamic and significant phases. They are the following:

Blocking phase. The person finds themselves face to face with a problem that they do not know how to solve.Restructuring. At this stage we try to see this challenge from various perspectives. To do this, you access previous experience, search for information, break down that problem into smaller parts…Understanding the problem. At this point, the person already knows what that challenge consists of, but there are several steps left to be able to face it and they continue to insist on it.Discovery. At a given moment, the answer to that problem becomes conscious. The mind has been connecting the dots, relating some things to others, devising strategies, until suddenly it finds the key.Learning integration. In this last stage, the learning obtained is integrated into long-term memory.

The types of insight you can experience

As we have pointed out, it was Gestalt psychology that has been most interested in learning through insight. Research work, such as those carried out at the University of Illinois, highlights that These types of psychological processes are the ones that most reorganize or restructure our mind and our knowledge.

Learning by insight It forces you to put into practice multiple perceptual, cognitive and even emotional processes. To understand it better, it is interesting to know the types of insight that we can experience.

Insight by model break. It happens when we are forced to vary our previous knowledge due to updated data that we have just discovered. Nothing is as important as detecting incorrect or irrational thinking patterns to replace them with more truthful and useful ideas.Critical perspective. Learning by insight It also appears when we strive to apply a filter of skepticism to many of the things around us. The critical eye always discovers or realizes things that others do not perceive.Connectivity. This is undoubtedly another great cognitive resource that we should all apply. It is that in which we are skilled at finding relationships between things, seeing similarities, anchors, similarities and relating new information with our previous experiences.

To conclude, learning by insight It is one of the most valuable, useful and satisfying that human beings can experience. Let’s make use of it in our daily lives.

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