Phenomenology, Psychological

Kubovy, Michael

doi:10.1002/0470018860.s00690

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The better the descriptive analyses conducted in this initial phase were (in terms of exhaustiveness and precision), the richer the list of constraints to be relaxed in the following steps was when they transformed each feature into its contrary. We know from research into the Psychology of Perception that inter-observation in small groups of three to four members leads to more accurate descriptions of the facts under observation (see Bozzi, 1978; Bozzi and Martinuzzi, 1989; Kubovy, 2002). Therefore, in our case working in small groups might have improved the quality of the initial analysis of the structure of the problem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Contraries Prompt Intuition in Insight Problem Solving?

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper aims to test whether the use of contraries can facilitate spatial problem solving. Specifically, we examined whether a training session which included explicit guidance on thinking in contraries would improve problem solving abilities. In our study, the participants in the experimental condition were exposed to a brief training session before being presented with seven visuo-spatial problems to solve. During training it was suggested that it would help them to find the solution to the problems if they systematically transformed the spatial features of each problem into their contraries. Their performance was compared to that of a control group (who had no training). Two participation conditions were considered: small groups and individuals. Higher success rates were found in the groups exposed to training as compared to the individuals (in both the training and no training conditions), even though the time required to find a solution was longer. In general, participants made more attempts (i.e., drawings) when participating in groups than individually. The number of drawings done while the participants were trying to solve the problems did not increase after training. In order to explore if the quality (if not the number) of drawings was modified, we sampled one problem out of the seven we had used in the experiment (the “pigs in a pen” problem) and examined the drawings in detail. Differences between the training and no training conditions emerged in terms of properties focused on and transformed in the drawings. Based on these results, in the final discussion possible explanations are suggested as to why training had positive effects specifically in the group condition.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Contraries Prompt Intuition in Insight Problem Solving?

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…perception to obtain precise and refined descriptions of an event under observation (Bianchi, Savardi, & Kubovy, 2011;Bozzi, 1978;Bozzi & Martinuzzi, 1989;Kubovy, 2002). It requires participants to take part in an experiment in small groups of three to five members and to share their thoughts by giving verbal descriptions of how they see the situation.…”

Section: Contraries In Problem Solving 405mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contraries as an effective strategy in geometrical problem solving

Branchini

Burro

Bianchi

et al. 2015

Thinking & Reasoning

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A focused review of the literature on reasoning suggests that mechanisms based upon contraries are of fundamental importance in various abilities. At the same time, the importance of contraries in the human perceptual experience of space has been recently demonstrated in experimental studies. Solving geometry problems represents an interesting case as both reasoning abilities and the manipulation of perceptual–figural aspects are involved.\ud In this study we focus on perceptual changes in geometrical problem solving processes in order to understand whether a mental manipulation in terms of opposites might help. Four conditions were studied, two of which concerned the search for contraries as an implicit or explicit strategy.\ud Results demonstrated that contraries, when used explicitly in solution processes, constitute an effective heuristic: The number of correct solutions increased, less time was needed to find a solution and participants were oriented towards the use of perception-based solutions—not only were perceptual solutions more frequent, but also, more specifically, the number of correct perceptual solutions increased. These last results concerning perception-based solutions were found both when participants were advised about the usefulness of the strategy and when they were not advised. Differences concerning which aspects of a problem were focused on during the solution process also emerged

show abstract

“…This aspect of space has been emphasized in various anthropological (e.g., Brown & Levinson 1993) and linguistic (e.g., Cruse 1986;Hill 1982) analyses of human cognition and in studies of memory errors in object recognition (Gregory & McCloskey 2010). Only recently has its importance been recognized within what has been defined "phenomenological psychophysics" (Kubovy 2002;Kubovy & Gepshtein 2003). The basic structure of phenomenological experiences of space and its geometry invariably manifests properties of polarization (Bianchi et al 2011a;Bianchi & Savardi 2012a;Savardi & Bianchi 2009).…”

Section: Anisotropy and Polarization Of Space: Evidence From Naïve Opmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating in a three-dimensional world

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study of spatial cognition has provided considerable insight into how animals (including humans) navigate on the horizontal plane. However, the real world is three-dimensional, having a complex topography including both horizontal and vertical features, which presents additional challenges for representation and navigation. The present article reviews the emerging behavioral and neurobiological literature on spatial cognition in non-horizontal environments. We suggest that three-dimensional spaces are represented in a quasi-planar fashion, with space in the plane of locomotion being computed separately and represented differently from space in the orthogonal axis - a representational structure we have termed "bicoded." We argue that the mammalian spatial representation in surface-travelling animals comprises a mosaic of these locally planar fragments, rather than a fully integrated volumetric map. More generally, this may be true even for species that can move freely in all three dimensions, such as birds and fish. We outline the evidence supporting this view, together with the adaptive advantages of such a scheme.

show abstract

Phenomenology, Psychological

Abstract: Phenomenology is the study of how the world (material, mental, or cultural) appears to me. Given the common view of scientific observation as objective, unaffected by a point of view, it is natural that controversy exists over the role of phenomenology in science.

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

Can Contraries Prompt Intuition in Insight Problem Solving?

Can Contraries Prompt Intuition in Insight Problem Solving?

Contraries as an effective strategy in geometrical problem solving

Navigating in a three-dimensional world

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About