German psychologist Wolfgang Köhler set up a famous experiment more than 100 years ago that changed how scientists understand animal intelligence and the power of insight — or spontaneous ...

When humans are trying to grasp a complicated concept or solve a problem, they might suddenly feel like they have gained a deeper understanding or think of something they had not thought of before.

For example, the solution to the problem: pine, crab and sauce, is apple—as in, pineapple, crabapple and applesauce. Participants reported how each solution came to them: whether through "insight," an ...