Conversion from an initial representation for gaining insight has mainly been studied in experimental settings wheresolution through that initial representation is impossible.Many studies of insight problem solving have shown that animplicit process engage in conversion from an inadequate initial representation. However, few studies exist about suchconversion in a situation in which solution by the initial representation is possible. A typical situation is conversionfrom a sub-optimal to an optimal solution. In such a situation, solution by the initial representation is inefficient, butpossible. Therefore, participants received no negative feedback that the solution is impossible.In this study, by measuringeye movement, we investigated the hypothesis that the implicit process also emerges in such a situation. We found that theimplicit process related to relaxation of fixedness on the sub-optional solution was observed prior to conscious finding ofthe optimal solution.

Why do humans search for better alternatives when a familiar trained procedure is sufficient to solve the problem? Such a question is important in explaining the flexibility of human thinking. This study investigated whether the finder of an alternative procedure intentionally seeks to access information irrelevant to the trained procedure while solving a problem using the trained procedure. The results show that finders intentionally sought more information irrelevant to the trained procedure, even when solving a problem using the procedure. In addition, differences in intentional search may be caused by resistance to the reinforcement of fixation on the trained procedure. This study provides evidence that the discovery of alternatives involves the tendency to intentionally search for information irrelevant to a familiar solution.

The development of mobility technologies has led to the concept of shared spaces. In the shared space, mobilities and pedestrians share a single common space. Compared to conventional separated spaces, cooperative behaviors are critical in shared spaces because all agents can move freely at their own speed and in their directions with few constraints. An experiment was conducted using indices for own cost, others' benefit, and own loss to reveal the nature of the cooperative behaviors associated with moving. We found that compared to when people are encouraged to behave without urgency, they frequently change their speed and direction so as not to interrupt others and reach their destination more quickly when people are required to behave cooperatively. Therefore, it was concluded that both others' benefit and one's own benefit are critical for cooperative behaviors when moving in shared spaces.