Insight problem solving and unconscious analytic thought. New lines of research

Several studies have been interested in explaining which processes underlie the solution of insight problems. Our contribution analyses and compares the main theories on this topic, focusing on two contrasting perspectives: the business-as-usual view (conscious and analytical processes) and the special process view (unconscious automatic associations). Both of these approaches have critical aspects that reveal the complexity of the issue on hand. In our view, the insight problem solution derives from an unconscious analytic thought, where the unconscious process is not merely associative (by chance), but is achieved by a covert thinking process, which includes a relevant, analytic, goal-oriented search.