7"
Friday, December 9,1988
The Battalion
Page 15
A&M psychologist describes idea incubation
By Melissa Naumann
Reporter
All students have experienced the
frustrating phenomenon of taking a
test, struggling with a question and
then remembering the right answer
while walking out of the classroom.
It may seem like 'nothing but bad
luck, but Dr. Steve Smith can explain
the problem.
Smith, associate professor of psy-
chologv, studies the link between
memory and problem solving.
“Sometimes an idea to solve a
problem just pops in your head and
you wonder where it came from,” he
said. “This is called insight or illumi
nation.”
While some people believe the
unconscious mind steps in when the
conscious mind can’t solve a prob
lem, Smith disagrees. He believes in
cubation is the key to eventual in
sight
“Incubation in problem solving is
like incubating an egg,” he said. “If
the egg is kept warm, something
eventually pops out. We don’t know
what goes on inside, but something
comes out. You can work on a prob
lem and nothing works out. Later,
when you’re doing something else,
the idea pops up. Incubation ends
with insight. ’
He said insight can only occur
when the problem isn’t solved ini-
tiall
ly explanation is that this in
sight at the end of . incubation
wouldn't be described as an insight if
you solved the problem on the first
try," Smith said.
Smith focuses on why the prob
lem-solving process is not immedi
ate.
“Because we’re generating wrong
solutions, these wrong ideas become
more accessible, easy to retrieve
from our memory," Smith said. “So
at a certain point, all you can do is
think of wrong solutions.”
These wrong solutions block the
correct solutions and make it more
difficult for the right ideas to come
through, he said.
“The correct approach is in there
somewhere, but the memory of the
incorrect ones are uxj strong." he
said.
As time passes, the incorrect solu
tions fade to let the correct solution
come up. Smith said.
“Rather than the unconscious
mind doing the work, you’re just let
ling some memories wear off,” 1 —
sain.
he
Smith said this problem is like try
ing to remember a name.
“The more you try, the more you
can’t think of the right thing.” he
said. “T his is analogous ro memorv
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