Max Wertheimer y el Pensamiento Creativo Productivo

Max Wertheimer and Productive Creative Thinking

• Wertheimer's Gestalt psychology emphasizes the importance of holistic understanding.
• He argued that insight, or "productive thinking," involves seeing relationships and restructuring the problem's elements.
• This differs significantly from trial and error, which is a step-by-step approach that may not uncover the solution.
• "Productive thinking" involves a grasp of the underlying structure of a problem, leading to a restructuring (insight).
• Wertheimer highlighted the importance of "seeing the whole" (Gestalt approach) and understanding the relationships between parts to solve problems.
• He contrasted this with "reproductive thinking," which mechanically applies learned rules without comprehending the underlying structure.
• Wertheimer's ideas showcase the importance of understanding the bigger picture or pattern relating to the specific situation.
• Wertheimer believed that learning is not merely the accumulation of isolated facts but requires a deeper understanding of the underlying principles.
• Productive thinking depends upon recognizing the fundamental relationships between aspects of a problem, rather than merely employing previously learned procedures.
• Realizing fundamental relationships requires individuals to engage in actively restructuring the problem, through the discovery of new relationships.
• Wertheimer believed that creative thinking in problem solving depends initially on the identification of the fundamental problem to be resolved. This initial understanding is essential to creative thinking.
• He challenged the dominant behavioralist approaches to learning, emphasizing the role of insight, understanding, and meaningful learning.

David Ausubel and Meaningful Learning

• Ausubel focused on meaningful verbal learning, emphasizing the need for prior knowledge to make new information comprehensible.
• He stressed the importance of connecting newly acquired knowledge to existing cognitive structures.
• This is known as meaningful learning and is contrasted with rote learning.
• Ausubel proposed that meaningful learning occurs when new information is related to existing relevant concepts in the learner's cognitive structure.
• These structures are organized hierarchically, showing relationships and connections between ideas.
• The learning process, according to this view, is not simply memorizing facts, but building upon prior knowledge in a logical and well-organized manner.
• Meaningful learning is built upon prior knowledge, thus prior knowledge is essential for meaningful and efficient learning. The higher the prior knowledge, the more efficient is the learning process.
• The more organized the prior knowledge, logically connected, the better the learning will be.
• Ausubel's theory identifies the ideal situations for meaningful learning, emphasizing the crucial role of prior knowledge and its organization for effective knowledge acquisition.
• Ausubel's work influenced the field of educational psychology, highlighting the importance of prior knowledge in learning and emphasizing the need for teaching methods that support meaningful learning.