Insight and innovation are two crucial components of our problem-solving capacity to create novel tools. In this study, we explored the possible contribution of task break (napping or wakeful), age (3-to-5-year-olds), gender, napping duration, and night sleep problems and durations on 69 habitually napping preschoolers' tool-innovation and tool-manufacture abilities. Beyond gaining immediate insight in a pre-test , the contribution of insightful or social learning was also tested in three further post-test conditions: innovation and two social learning conditions. Only four children could solve the task in the pre-test , spontaneously. Age, napping duration, and gender (boys) significantly predicted tool-making scores, including pre-test . Two further children showed insight into the task in the post-test , both in the task break groups. Age, napping (short durations), and gender (boys), but not task break group, predicted children's success in the post-test phases. We suggested some hypotheses (to be tested in the future) related to the role of insight, culture and gender, development, and nap durations on the tool innovation capacity.
Gönül et al. (Mon,) studied this question.