Implicit processing of the subliminal information during insight problem-solving

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Implicit information out of the conscious control plays important roles for cognition. This finding has been obtained mainly from the research on lower-level cognition, such as perception and action. This study explored the role of implicit information in higher-order cognition, such as problem-solving and learning.We conducted three experiments. The first was to examine whether the subliminal hint information presented during the problem-solving facilitated subjects' performance in insight problem-solving. The second was to investigate the best presentation size of the subliminal stimulus for problem-solvers. The third was to examine whether the presentation of the subliminal stimulus changed the problem-solvers' eye movement. None of the experiments showed significant differences between the experimental and control groups.We conducted additional experiments to investigate roles of the unconscious subjects' actions in spatial problem-solving and skill learning. In spatial problem-solving, subjects unconsciously changed their gestures during problem-solving, which produced the information relevant to the phase of problem-solving. In skill learning, a subject unconsciously controled the task setting when she developed a more elaborated strategy.