Incubation effect

The incubation effect is a psychological phenomenon in solving problems that occurs when the problem is put aside for a while after an unsuccessful attempt to solve it and can be resolved quickly when trying again. Inappropriate solution strategies have been forgotten and are no longer used. This phenomenon can be explained by the attitude effect and sensitivity . The latter says that people develop a preference for problem-solving operators that they have used recently. Attitude effects result from the reinforcement of knowledge relevant to solving a particular problem.

literature

• John R. Anderson : Cognitive Psychology . Spectrum Academic Publishing House, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8274-1743-5 .