FOUNDER OF GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY

The theory of Insight Learning was first proposed by German-American psychologist, one of the founders
of Gestalt psychology, Wolfgang Köhler. Insight learning is among various methods of Behavioral learning
process, which is a fundamental aspect of Behavioral Psychology. Gestalt Psychologists focused on
perception and on how perception influences thinking and problem solving. The word ''gestalt'' means
the ''unified or meaningful whole.''

GAINED FAME

The psychologist gained fame with his studies on cognitive processing involved in problem-solving by
animals. In 1921 Köhler became head of the psychological institute and professor of philosophy at the
University of Berlin, directing a series of investigations that explored many aspects of Gestalt theory and
publishing Gestalt Psychology (1929).

DEFINITION

Insight learning refers to the sudden realization of the solution of any problem without repeated trials or
continuous practices. To further elaborate on its definition, insight learning is the type of learning, in
which one draws on previous experience and also seems to involve a new way of perceiving logical and
cause-and-effect relationship. is an awareness of key relationships between cause and effect, which
comes after assembling the relevant information and either overt or covert testing of possibilities. All
discoveries and inventions have taken place through insight. Of course the discoverer possessed a
complete knowledge of the whole situation in peace-meal. Learning through such insight is called insight
learning.

HOW INSIGHT LEARNING WAS EXPERIMENTED

Kohler hung a piece of fruit just out of reach of each chimp. He then provided the chimps with either
two sticks or three boxes, then waited and watched. Kohler noticed that after the chimps realized they
could not simply reach or jump up to retrieve the fruit, they stopped, had a seat, and thought about how
they might solve the problem. Then after a few moments, the chimps stood up and proceeded to solve
the problem. The chimps would solve the problem by stacking the boxes on top of each other, which
allowed them to climb up to the top of the stack of boxes and reach the fruit.

PRINCIPLES

1. Identifying the problem.

2. Organizing the pain of action.

3. Using insight.

TWO MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS

The first is that insight represents seeing clearly into the heart or essence of a situation, and the other is
that we do not do this by a step-by-step process, but partially by unconscious processes. Although
insight learning suggests sudden realization of a solution, insight is not a process that occurs out of the
blue.

•First part of the path comes from intense research or work pertaining to some domain, which is termed
as the pre-solution period.

•The time of idleness in which the idea or concept seems to spontaneously pop up is the next step.

Having the idea or concept is not enough; it needs to be taken back to the thinking and working stage so
that it can be materialized. There needs to be a certain basis for insight to appear, as insight depends
upon the time and events that take place in order for the material to be transformed from initial stimuli
into insightful thought.

SOME OTHER CHARACTERISTICS

•Insight leads to change in perception.

•Insight is sudden.

•Understanding plays important role n insight learning.

•Insight is related with higher order animals and not with inferior animals.

•Age influences insight learning. Adults are better learner than children.

•Past experience and perceptual organization is important in perception.