<p>With the aim of fleshing out Jeff's link, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight" rel="nofollow"><strong>insight</strong></a> is the broad concept you are talking about. More specific terms which focus on the apparent abrupt shift include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect" rel="nofollow">Eureka effect and Aha! effect</a>. </p>

<p>The Kounios and Beeman (2009) article mentioned by Jeff discusses potential neural models of the Aha moment. Kounios and Beeman state that</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Although the experience of insight is sudden and can seem disconnected
  from the immediately preceding thought, [studies using EEG and fMRI] show that
  insight is the culmination of a series of brain states and processes
  operating at different time scales. Elucidation of these precursors
  suggests interventional opportunities for the facilitation of insight.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>More broadly, you ask why there is such a threshold for understanding. One answer is that the phenomena by definition only applies to phenomena that operates that way. Most understanding does not involve an Aha moment. Problems are routine, or they involve searching for an answer by reading materials, or they involve asking someone, or they involve working through a process, and so on. Furthermore, most problems do not have single discrete insights that are going to make a huge difference. Rather, successful performance is the culmination of many smaller tasks. All this is just to say, insight by definition involves a particular dynamic of impasse and then discovery. </p>

<p>Some literature on the Aha moment focuses on problem solvig techniques to both explain the occurrence of the impasse and the insight. For example, problem solvers upon reaching an impasse may start to re-arrange knowledge or engage in various restructuring processes. The literature also discusses incubation processes which in theory may permit more distal knowledge structures to be integrated with the problem.</p>

<h3>References</h3>

<ul>
<li>Kounios, J., &amp; Beeman, M. (2009). The Aha! Moment The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(4), 210-216. <a href="http://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/mbeeman/documents/CurrentDirxns_Kounios-Beeman_2009.pdf" rel="nofollow">PDF</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-08T01:45:16.743Z
2013-02-08T01:45:16.743Z
Jeromy Anglim
<p><strong>What happens in your mind when the "lightbulb goes off", or a concept "clicks" for you? Why is there such a threshold for human understanding?</strong></p>

<p><strong>Existing searches</strong>:
I've searched a good amount for it. "when the light bulb goes off" leads me to English Grammar-related/expression questions, "What’s Happening When Something Clicks?" gives one or two decent articles, like one from xraylistening.com, but doesn't really scientifically answer my question. "Aha moment" just tells me about the feeling. These are just a few of the searches I've done. I've searched, but haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-06-01T05:49:05.360Z
Related: http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/9910/the-backwards-bike-and-implications-for-how-we-think
John Berryman
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-09T21:32:11.287Z
I'm curious about the concept (+1 for the question) but perhaps Google may lead you to general background info (-1 for no research effort).
BenCole
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-09T21:51:15.193Z
@BenCole I've searched a good amount for it... "when the light bulb goes off" leads me to English Grammar-related questions, "What’s Happening When Something Clicks?" gives one or two decent articles, like one from xraylistening.com, but doesn't really scientifically answer my question. "Aha moment" just tells me about the feeling. These are just a few of the searches I've done. So, I have put in some effort, but haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.
user3871
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-10T01:19:46.283Z
@Growler try [Google Scholar](http://scholar.google.com). This was the first result for "aha moment": [The *Aha!* Moment: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight](http://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/mbeeman/documents/CurrentDirxns_Kounios-Beeman_2009.pdf)
Jeff
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-19T03:53:49.953Z
I also heard about the term "noetic", or "noesis" refer to spontaneous understanding
Alex Stone
<cognitive-psychology><learning>
What happens in your brain when a concept "clicks"?
user3871
# What happens in your brain when a concept "clicks"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-01-09)

**What happens in your mind when the "lightbulb goes off", or a concept "clicks" for you? Why is there such a threshold for human understanding?**

**Existing searches**:
I've searched a good amount for it. "when the light bulb goes off" leads me to English Grammar-related/expression questions, "What’s Happening When Something Clicks?" gives one or two decent articles, like one from xraylistening.com, but doesn't really scientifically answer my question. "Aha moment" just tells me about the feeling. These are just a few of the searches I've done. I've searched, but haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, learning

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I'm curious about the concept (+1 for the question) but perhaps Google may lead you to general background info (-1 for no research effort).  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I've searched a good amount for it... "when the light bulb goes off" leads me to English Grammar-related questions, "What’s Happening When Something Clicks?" gives one or two decent articles, like one from xraylistening.com, but doesn't really scientifically answer my question. "Aha moment" just tells me about the feeling. These are just a few of the searches I've done. So, I have put in some effort, but haven't gotten a satisfactory answer.  
> **username_3**: @Growler try [Google Scholar](http://scholar.google.com). This was the first result for "aha moment": [The *Aha!* Moment: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight](http://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/mbeeman/documents/CurrentDirxns_Kounios-Beeman_2009.pdf)  
> **username_4**: I also heard about the term "noetic", or "noesis" refer to spontaneous understanding  
> **username_1**: Related: http://cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/9910/the-backwards-bike-and-implications-for-how-we-think  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-02-08. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

With the aim of fleshing out username_3's link, [**insight**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight) is the broad concept you are talking about. More specific terms which focus on the apparent abrupt shift include [Eureka effect and Aha! effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect).

The Kounios and Beeman (2009) article mentioned by username_3 discusses potential neural models of the Aha moment. Kounios and Beeman state that

> Although the experience of insight is sudden and can seem disconnected
> from the immediately preceding thought, [studies using EEG and fMRI] show that
> insight is the culmination of a series of brain states and processes
> operating at different time scales. Elucidation of these precursors
> suggests interventional opportunities for the facilitation of insight.

More broadly, you ask why there is such a threshold for understanding. One answer is that the phenomena by definition only applies to phenomena that operates that way. Most understanding does not involve an Aha moment. Problems are routine, or they involve searching for an answer by reading materials, or they involve asking someone, or they involve working through a process, and so on. Furthermore, most problems do not have single discrete insights that are going to make a huge difference. Rather, successful performance is the culmination of many smaller tasks. All this is just to say, insight by definition involves a particular dynamic of impasse and then discovery.

Some literature on the Aha moment focuses on problem solvig techniques to both explain the occurrence of the impasse and the insight. For example, problem solvers upon reaching an impasse may start to re-arrange knowledge or engage in various restructuring processes. The literature also discusses incubation processes which in theory may permit more distal knowledge structures to be integrated with the problem.

### References

* Kounios, J., & Beeman, M. (2009). The Aha! Moment The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(4), 210-216. [PDF](http://groups.psych.northwestern.edu/mbeeman/documents/CurrentDirxns_Kounios-Beeman_2009.pdf)


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