Aha! Ratings as Metacognitive Judgments

There has been an increase in studies using Aha! ratings to explore insight in creative problem solving. Aha! moments are often assumed to serve as a marker for insight—meaning that solutions are achieved via restructuring. However, similar to metacognitive paradigms that collect FOKs (Feelings of Knowing) or JOLs (Judgments of Learning) and JOUs (Judgments of Understanding) to track monitoring of memory, learning, and comprehension processes, Aha! ratings may be better considered as “Judgments of Aha!” or JOAs derived from an inferential process based on a variety of cues. Only some of these may directly reflect underlying problem-solving processes. Using a set of spatial object-move puzzles, this study explored JOAs and how they may vary (or fail to vary) with initial fixation, correct solution, and individual differences in growth mindset. Instead of JOAs being highest for solutions where an initial representation needed to be revised, they were highest for solutions where solvers made a correct first move. This suggests that Aha! experiences are more closely tied to achieving correct solutions than to restructuring processes. Individuals with a stronger growth mindset were more likely to associate these initially correct solutions with Aha! experiences.