The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements
The Einstellung effect is the counterintuitive finding that prior experience or domain-specific knowledge can under some circumstances interfere with problem solving performance. This effect has been demonstrated in several domains of expertise including medicine and chess. In the present study we e...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2014-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00679/full |
| _version_ | 1819294626982395904 |
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| author | Jessica J. Ellis Eyal M. Reingold |
| author_facet | Jessica J. Ellis Eyal M. Reingold |
| author_sort | Jessica J. Ellis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Einstellung effect is the counterintuitive finding that prior experience or domain-specific knowledge can under some circumstances interfere with problem solving performance. This effect has been demonstrated in several domains of expertise including medicine and chess. In the present study we explored this effect in the context of a simplified anagram problem solving task. Participants solved anagram problems while their eye movements were monitored. Each problem consisted of six letters: a central three-letter string whose letters were part of the solution word, and three additional individual letters. Participants were informed that one of the individual letters was a distractor letter and were asked to find a five-letter solution word. In order to examine the impact of stimulus familiarity on problem solving performance and eye movements, the central letter string was presented either as a familiar three-letter word, or the letters were rearranged to form a three-letter nonword. Replicating the classic Einstellung effect, overall performance was better for nonword than word trials. However, participants’ eye movements revealed a more complex pattern of both interference and facilitation as a function of the familiarity of the central letter string. Specifically, word trials resulted in shorter viewing times on the central letter string and longer viewing times on the individual letters than nonword trials. These findings suggest that while participants were better able to encode and maintain the meaningful word stimuli in working memory, they found it more challenging to integrate the individual letters into the central letter string when it was presented as a word. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:29:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f0c4dd5ddfcd40eabed655b4d27b1a59 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T04:29:19Z |
| publishDate | 2014-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f0c4dd5ddfcd40eabed655b4d27b1a592022-12-21T17:15:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782014-07-01510.3389/fpsyg.2014.0067998105The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movementsJessica J. Ellis0Eyal M. Reingold1University of Toronto MississaugaUniversity of Toronto MississaugaThe Einstellung effect is the counterintuitive finding that prior experience or domain-specific knowledge can under some circumstances interfere with problem solving performance. This effect has been demonstrated in several domains of expertise including medicine and chess. In the present study we explored this effect in the context of a simplified anagram problem solving task. Participants solved anagram problems while their eye movements were monitored. Each problem consisted of six letters: a central three-letter string whose letters were part of the solution word, and three additional individual letters. Participants were informed that one of the individual letters was a distractor letter and were asked to find a five-letter solution word. In order to examine the impact of stimulus familiarity on problem solving performance and eye movements, the central letter string was presented either as a familiar three-letter word, or the letters were rearranged to form a three-letter nonword. Replicating the classic Einstellung effect, overall performance was better for nonword than word trials. However, participants’ eye movements revealed a more complex pattern of both interference and facilitation as a function of the familiarity of the central letter string. Specifically, word trials resulted in shorter viewing times on the central letter string and longer viewing times on the individual letters than nonword trials. These findings suggest that while participants were better able to encode and maintain the meaningful word stimuli in working memory, they found it more challenging to integrate the individual letters into the central letter string when it was presented as a word.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00679/fullEye MovementsProblem SolvingInsight problemsEinstellung effectAnagrams |
| spellingShingle | Jessica J. Ellis Eyal M. Reingold The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements Frontiers in Psychology Eye Movements Problem Solving Insight problems Einstellung effect Anagrams |
| title | The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements |
| title_full | The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements |
| title_fullStr | The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements |
| title_short | The Einstellung effect in anagram problem solving: Evidence from eye movements |
| title_sort | einstellung effect in anagram problem solving evidence from eye movements |
| topic | Eye Movements Problem Solving Insight problems Einstellung effect Anagrams |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00679/full |
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