Abstract
It has been suggested that, in insight problem solving, implicit information processing plays important role. In this study, we examined whether problem solvers can store and use subliminal hint information even when subliminal distractor was subsequently presented. Using Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS), we compared the no-overwrite group (this group was exposed to the hint image for 6 seconds.), overwrite group (this group was exposed to the hint image for 3 seconds and then it was switched to a distractor image for the rest of 3 seconds.), and the control group which was exposed to none of them. The results showed that, while the overwrite and no-overwrite groups outperformed the control group in solving a difficult insight problem, there was no difference between the overwrite and no-overwrite groups. These results suggest that subliminal hint information is not overwritten by distractor information subsequently presented and lead problem solvers to exhibit better performance.
