Think! Evidence

The Self-Organization of Insight: Entropy and Power Laws in Problem Solving

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dc.creator Stephen, Damian G.
dc.creator Dixon, James A.
dc.date 2009-05-01T13:50:27Z
dc.date.accessioned 2015-07-24T14:18:15Z
dc.date.available 2015-07-24T14:18:15Z
dc.identifier http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jps/vol2/iss1/6
dc.identifier http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=jps
dc.identifier.uri http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1043&context=jps
dc.identifier.uri http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/25618
dc.description Explaining emergent structure remains a challenge for all areas of cognitive science, and problem solving is no exception. The modern study of insight has drawn attention to the issue of emergent cognitive structure in problem solving research. We propose that the explanation of insight is beyond the scope of conventional approaches to cognitive science in terms of symbolic representation. Cognition may be better described in terms of an open, nonlinear dynamical system. By this reasoning, insight would be the self-organization of novel structure. Self-organization is a well-studied phenomenon of dynamical systems theory, associated with specific trends in entropy and power-law behavior. We present work using nonlinear dynamics to capture these trends in entropy and power-law behavior and thus to predict the self-organization of novel cognitive structure in a problem-solving task. Future explorations of problem solving will benefit from considerations of the continuous nonlinear interactions among action, cognition, and the environment.
dc.format application/pdf
dc.publisher Purdue University
dc.source The Journal of Problem Solving
dc.title The Self-Organization of Insight: Entropy and Power Laws in Problem Solving
dc.type Article


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