Abstract
Creative performances and problem-solving behaviors have been associated with the phenomenon of operant variability. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies evaluate the effects of operant variability in insightful problem-solving. This research aimed to analyze the relationship between operant variability and its effects on participants’ general performance and type of resolution during a problem situation, using the video game Portal 2. The general procedure had two phases. The Training Phase consisted of a sequence of 12 problems presented in virtual chambers. The Test Phase consisted of a new problem in a new virtual chamber. Twenty-five participants were allocated into five groups: four underwent different Training Phases and one had no training—baseline group (BL). Each one of the four other groups had a different variability training, with or without contact with the objects and stimuli presented in the Test Phase. After the Training Phase, all participants were presented with the same problem in the Test Phase. Our results suggest that operant variability may facilitate insightful behavior depending on the learning history. We discuss the effects of training operant variability and the function of stimuli related to the problem on the type of problem-solving behavior.