Lecture 8.1 & 8.2
Part 1: Problem Solving and Insight
Here we will talk about various different methods of investigating problem solving in animals
and the various different methods they might have for probkem solving
Contents:
- Historical background
- Problem solving:
o Trial and error
o Insight
o Detour tests
o Tool use
Historical Background
Two schools of thought:
Euan MacPhail has a very interesting discussion of this issue in his book:
Macphail, E.M. (1982). Brain and Intelligence in Vertebrates. Clarendon
Press: Oxford.
See also:
Macphail, E.M. (1987). The comparative psychology of intelligence. Behavioural and Brain
Sciences, 10, 645-695.
, Euan MacPhail’s position is one that has garnered a lot of support and interest. Basically, his
original position was that there was no difference in kind (i.e. no qualitative difference) in
intelligence across species with the exception of humans. He was quite open to quantitative
differences, i.e. differences only in speed of learning. This applied to all vertebrates. He later
modified this slightly to allow that language trained animals might show cognitive capacities
that were beyond those available to non-language trained animals. We’ll be coming back to this
idea in my final content lecture.
Trial and Error
Thorndike
We’ve done this some time ago- this is Thorndike’s
work. The point to make here is that this is just basic
trial and error learning , all animals are capable of it,
but speed of learning certainly varies. A cat would
probably escape the box much quicker than a rat etc.
● no insight
● Law of Effect
Insight- Kohler’s Valid Point
But Kohler was quite critical of Thorndike’s work and made the very good point:
if you don’t give the animal a chance to show how clever it can be, then you’ll never get any evidence
for anything beyond trial and error learning!
He suggested using problems that allowed solution via “insight”. Trial and error was a last resort if the
animal couldn’t “figure out” the solution.
Some of his beliefs:
● Gestalt psychology
● Perception of relations
● no physical activity involved
● if too difficult: trial-and-error
Kohler’s approach
2
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