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Qiao X, Zhang W, Hao N. Different neural correlates of deception: Crafting high and low creative scams. Neuroscience 2024; 558:37-49. [PMID: 39159840 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 08/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024]
Abstract
Deception is a complex social behavior that manifests in various forms, including scams. To successfully deceive victims, liars have to continually devise novel scams. This ability to create novel scams represents one kind of malevolent creativity, referred to as lying. This study aimed to explore different neural substrates involved in the generation of high and low creative scams. A total of 40 participants were required to design several creative scams, and their cortical activity was recorded by functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results revealed that the right frontopolar cortex (FPC) was significantly active in scam generation. This region associated with theory of mind may be a key region for creating novel and complex scams. Moreover, creativity-related regions were positively involved in creative scams, while morality-related areas showed negative involvement. This suggests that individuals might attempt to use malevolent creativity while simultaneously minimizing the influence of moral considerations. The right FPC exhibited increased coupling with the right precentral gyrus during the design of high-harmfulness scams, suggesting a diminished control over immoral thoughts in the generation of harmful scams. Additionally, the perception of the victim's emotions (related to right pre-motor cortex) might diminish the quality of highly original scams. Furthermore, an efficient and cohesive neural coupling state appears to be a key factor in generating high-creativity scams. These findings suggest that the right FPC was crucial in scam creation, highlighting a neural basis for balancing malevolent creativity against moral considerations in high-creativity deception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinuo Qiao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Wenyu Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Ning Hao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Key Laboratory of Philosophy and Social Science of Anhui Province on Adolescent Mental Health and Crisis Intelligence Intervention, Hefei Normal University, Hefei 230601, China.
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2
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Herault C, Ovando-Tellez M, Lebuda I, Kenett YN, Beranger B, Benedek M, Volle E. Creative connections: the neural correlates of semantic relatedness are associated with creativity. Commun Biol 2024; 7:810. [PMID: 38961130 PMCID: PMC11222432 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06493-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The associative theory of creativity proposes that creative ideas result from connecting remotely related concepts in memory. Previous research found that higher creative individuals exhibit a more flexible organization of semantic memory, generate more uncommon word associations, and judge remote concepts as more related. In this study (N = 93), we used fMRI to investigate brain regions involved in judging the relatedness of concepts that vary in their semantic distance, and how such neural involvement relates to individual differences in creativity. Brain regions where activity increased with semantic relatedness mainly overlapped with default, control, salience, semantic control, and multiple demand networks. The default and semantic control networks exhibited increased involvement when evaluating more remote associations. Finally, higher creative people, who provided higher relatedness judgements on average, exhibited lower activity in those regions, possibly reflecting higher neural efficiency. We discuss these findings in the context of the neurocognitive processing underlying creativity. Overall, our findings indicate that judging remote concepts as related reflects a cognitive mechanism underlying creativity and shed light on the neural correlates of this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Herault
- Sorbonne University, FrontLab at Paris Brain Institute (ICM), INSERM, CNRS, 75013, Paris, France.
| | - Marcela Ovando-Tellez
- Sorbonne University, FrontLab at Paris Brain Institute (ICM), INSERM, CNRS, 75013, Paris, France
| | - Izabela Lebuda
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Yoed N Kenett
- The Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 3200003, Israel
| | - Benoit Beranger
- Sorbonne University, CENIR at Paris Brain Institute (ICM), INSERM, CNRS, 75013, Paris, France
| | | | - Emmanuelle Volle
- Sorbonne University, FrontLab at Paris Brain Institute (ICM), INSERM, CNRS, 75013, Paris, France.
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3
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Wang Y, Zhang J, Li Y, Qi S, Zhang F, Ball LJ, Duan H. Preventing prefrontal dysfunction by tDCS modulates stress-induced creativity impairment in women: an fNIRS study. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10528-10545. [PMID: 37585735 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is a major external factor threatening creative activity. The study explored whether left-lateralized activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex manipulated through transcranial direct current stimulation could alleviate stress-induced impairment in creativity. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to explore the underlying neural mechanisms. Ninety female participants were randomly assigned to three groups that received stress induction with sham stimulation, stress induction with true stimulation (anode over the left and cathode over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), and control manipulation with sham stimulation, respectively. Participants underwent the stress or control task after the transcranial direct current stimulation manipulation, and then completed the Alternative Uses Task to measure creativity. Behavioral results showed that transcranial direct current stimulation reduced stress responses in heart rate and anxiety. The functional near-infrared spectroscopy results revealed that transcranial direct current stimulation alleviated dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex under stress, as evidenced by higher activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and frontopolar cortex, as well as stronger inter-hemispheric and intra-hemispheric functional connectivity within the prefrontal cortex. Further analysis demonstrated that the cortical regulatory effect prevented creativity impairment induced by stress. The findings validated the hemispheric asymmetry hypothesis regarding stress and highlighted the potential for brain stimulation to alleviate stress-related mental disorders and enhance creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Jiaqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Yadan Li
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Senqing Qi
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
| | - Fengqing Zhang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Linden J Ball
- School of Psychology & Computer Science, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
| | - Haijun Duan
- Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 041000, China
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4
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Qiao X, Lu K, Yun Q, Hao N. Similarities and Distinctions between Cortical Neural Substrates That Underlie Generation of Malevolent Creative Ideas. eNeuro 2023; 10:ENEURO.0127-23.2023. [PMID: 37696664 PMCID: PMC10512885 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0127-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Creativity can be driven by negative intentions, and this is called malevolent creativity (MC). It is a type of creativity that serves antisocial purposes and deliberately leads to harmful or immoral results. A possible classification indicates that there are three kinds of MC in daily life: hurting people, lying, and playing tricks. This study aimed to explore similar and distinct neural substrates underlying these different kinds of MC idea generation. The participants were asked to perform different MC tasks, and their neural responses were recorded using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy device. The findings revealed that most regions within the prefrontal and temporal lobes [e.g., the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC), and right angular gyrus] were involved in the three MC tasks. However, the right frontopolar cortex (rFPC) was more activated and less coupled with the rDLPFC and right precuneus during the lying task than during the other tasks. Thus, rFPC may play an important role in constructing novel lies. In the lying task, individuals were more selfish and less compassionate. In the playing tricks and hurting people tasks, there was less neural coupling between the rDLPFC and the left inferior frontal gyrus/right inferior parietal lobule than that in the lying task. This may imply that selfish motivation is released when individuals try to ignore victims' distress or generate aggressive tricks in hurting people or playing tricks tasks. These findings indicate that the three kinds of MC idea generation involve common cortical regions related to creative idea generation and moral judgment, whereas differences in cortical responses exist because of their unique features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinuo Qiao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China
| | - Kelong Lu
- School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou Zhejiang, 325035, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Yun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China
| | - Ning Hao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, People's Republic of China
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5
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Heo J, Yi K, Hong J, Kim C. The role of the prefrontal cortex in semantic control for selecting weakly associated meanings in creative idea generation. Neurosci Lett 2023; 802:137177. [PMID: 36907264 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2023.137177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Although semantic control is known to play a critical role in selecting weakly associated representations for creative idea generation, direct evidence for this is still lacking. The current study aimed to reveal the role of brain regions, including the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), medial frontal gyrus (MFG), and inferior parietal lobule (IPL), previously reported to be associated with creative idea generation. For this purpose, a functional MRI experiment with a newly developed category judgment task was conducted, which required participants to judge whether two words belonged to the same category. Importantly, weakly associated meanings were manipulated by the task condition, which required selecting an unused meaning of the homonym in a preceding semantic context. The results showed that the selection of a weakly associated meaning for a homonym was associated with an increased activation of the IFG and MFG and a decreased activation of the IPL. These results suggest that IFG and MFG contribute to semantic control processes recruited for the selection of weakly associated meanings and self-guided retrieval, whereas IPL appears to be unrelated to the control demand for creative idea generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyeon Heo
- Department of Psychology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea
| | - Kyongmyon Yi
- Department of Psychology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea
| | - Jiyun Hong
- Department of Psychology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea
| | - Chobok Kim
- Department of Psychology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea.
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6
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Fan L, Zhuang K, Wang X, Zhang J, Liu C, Gu J, Qiu J. Exploring the behavioral and neural correlates of semantic distance in creative writing. Psychophysiology 2022; 60:e14239. [PMID: 36537015 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Creativity is critical to economic growth and societal progress. However, assessing creativity using objective approaches remains a challenge. To address this, we employ three objective indicators based on semantic distance to quantify the originality and appropriateness of creativity by analyzing long texts in a story-writing experiment. Global and local distances were generated separately by computing the mean distance of the whole text and the distance between adjacent sentences, and they were positively correlated with story originality in writing. Global cohesion was positively correlated with story rationality in writing, as generated by computing the semantic coherence between the text and story context. At the behavioral level, three semantic indicators were used to measure originality and appropriateness of creativity and reflected individual differences, including creative achievement and creative personality. At the neural level, global distance was best predicted by the features of the salience and default networks, whereas global cohesion corresponded to the control and salience networks. These findings point to a stable neural basis for semantic indicators and verify the idea of separating different dimensions of creativity. Taken together, our results demonstrate the significance of semantic indicators in assessing creativity and provide insights into analyzing long texts in natural paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Fan
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
| | - Kaixiang Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
| | - Xueyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
| | - Jingyi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
| | - Jing Gu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU) Ministry of Education Chongqing China
- Faculty of Psychology Southwest University Chongqing China
- Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University Chongqing China
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7
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Zhan Z, Yao X, Li T. Effects of association interventions on students' creative thinking, aptitude, empathy, and design scheme in a STEAM course: considering remote and close association. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN EDUCATION 2022; 33:1-23. [PMID: 36531976 PMCID: PMC9743117 DOI: 10.1007/s10798-022-09801-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
One of the primary goals of STEAM education is to equip students with the capability of creativity to solve problems. Creativity is believed to be closely related to the ability of making remote associations and combining unrelated concepts. This article explored the effects of three kinds of association interventions (i.e., remote association, close association, free association) on students' creative thinking, creative aptitude, empathy, and design scheme. A total of 94 middle school students participated in the study and were assigned to three groups: the experiment group 1 (n = 30) used remote association and experiment group 2 (n = 32) used close association, the control group (n = 32) used free association (brainstorming) to complete the STEAM integration design projects respectively. Creative Thinking Test, Williams Creativity Aptitude Test (WCAT), Basic Empathy Scale (BES), design ideas, and interviews of students become source data for analysis. Results indicated that both remote and close association were effective strategies in promoting creativity in the STEAM course. However, students in the remote association group achieved a significantly higher degree of creative thinking. While students in the close association group significantly outperformed the remote association group on creativity aptitude and quality of design ideas. No significant difference was found among the three association conditions in students' degree of empathy. The findings highlight the different effects of remote and close association for creativity cultivation in STEAM education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zehui Zhan
- School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, P.R. of China
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, 510631 Guangzhou, P.R. of China
| | - Xiao Yao
- School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, P.R. of China
- Shenzhen Fuyuan School, 510970 Shenzhen, P.R. of China
| | - Tingting Li
- School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, 510631 Guangzhou, P.R. of China
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8
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The time course of creativity: multivariate classification of default and executive network contributions to creative cognition over time. Cortex 2022; 156:90-105. [PMID: 36240723 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Research indicates that creative cognition depends on both associative and controlled processes, corresponding to the brain's default mode network (DMN) and executive control network (ECN) networks. However, outstanding questions include how the DMN and ECN operate over time during creative task performance, and whether creative cognition involves distinct generative and evaluative stages. To address these questions, we used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to assess how the DMN and ECN contribute to creative cognition over three successive time phases during the production of a single creative idea. Training classifiers to predict trial condition (creative vs non-creative), we used classification accuracy as a measure of the extent of creative activity in each brain network and time phase. Across both networks, classification accuracy was highest in early phases, decreased in mid phases, and increased again in later phases, following a U-shaped curve. Notably, classification accuracy was significantly greater in the ECN than the DMN during early phases, while differences between networks at later time phases were non-significant. We also computed correlations between classification accuracy and human-rated creative performance, to assess how relevant the creative activity in each network was to the creative quality of ideas. In line with expectations, classification accuracy in the DMN was most related to creative quality in early phases, decreasing in later phases, while classification accuracy in the ECN was least related to creative quality in early phases, increasing in later phases. Given the theorized roles of the DMN in generation and the ECN in evaluation, we interpret these results as tentative evidence for the existence of separate generative and evaluative stages in creative cognition that depend on distinct neural substrates.
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Kuang C, Chen J, Chen J, Shi Y, Huang H, Jiao B, Lin Q, Rao Y, Liu W, Zhu Y, Mo L, Ma L, Lin J. Uncovering neural distinctions and commodities between two creativity subsets: A meta-analysis of fMRI studies in divergent thinking and insight using activation likelihood estimation. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4864-4885. [PMID: 35906880 PMCID: PMC9582370 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The dual‐process theory that two different systems of thought coexist in creative thinking has attracted considerable attention. In the field of creative thinking, divergent thinking (DT) is the ability to produce multiple solutions to open‐ended problems in a short time. It is mainly considered an associative and fast process. Meanwhile, insight, the new and unexpected comprehension of close‐ended problems, is frequently marked as a deliberate and time‐consuming thinking process requiring concentrated effort. Previous research has been dedicated to revealing their separate neural mechanisms, while few studies have compared their differences and similarities at the brain level. Therefore, the current study applied Activation Likelihood Estimation to decipher common and distinctive neural pathways that potentially underlie DT and insight. We selected 27 DT studies and 30 insight studies for retrospective meta‐analyses. Initially, two single analyses with follow‐up contrast and conjunction analyses were performed. The single analyses showed that DT mainly involved the inferior parietal lobe (IPL), cuneus, and middle frontal gyrus (MFG), while the precentral gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), parahippocampal gyrus (PG), amygdala (AMG), and superior parietal lobe were engaged in insight. Compared to insight, DT mainly led to greater activation in the IPL, the crucial part of the default mode network. However, insight caused more significant activation in regions related to executive control functions and emotional responses, such as the IFG, MFG, PG, and AMG. Notably, the conjunction analysis detected no overlapped areas between DT and insight. These neural findings implicate that various neurocognitive circuits may support DT and insight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changyi Kuang
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiawen Chen
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yafei Shi
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Huiyuan Huang
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bingqing Jiao
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiwen Lin
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuyang Rao
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenting Liu
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunpeng Zhu
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei Mo
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijun Ma
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiabao Lin
- Department of Psychology, School of Public Health and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.,UMR 5229, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
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Yang W, Green AE, Chen Q, Kenett YN, Sun J, Wei D, Qiu J. Creative problem solving in knowledge-rich contexts. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:849-859. [PMID: 35868956 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Creative problem solving (CPS) in real-world contexts often relies on reorganization of existing knowledge to serve new, problem-relevant functions. However, classic creativity paradigms that minimize knowledge content are generally used to investigate creativity, including CPS. We argue that CPS research should expand consideration of knowledge-rich problem contexts, both in novices and experts within specific domains. In particular, paradigms focusing on creative analogical transfer of knowledge may reflect CPS skills that are applicable to real-world problem solving. Such paradigms have begun to provide process-level insights into cognitive and neural characteristics of knowledge-rich CPS and point to multiple avenues for fruitfully expanding inquiry into the role of crystalized knowledge in creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Adam E Green
- Department of Psychology and Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Qunlin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Yoed N Kenett
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Jiangzhou Sun
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Dongtao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, 400715, China.
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11
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Zbainos D, Sagia C. Dynamic Assessment of Creativity for Diagnostic Purposes. EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2022. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. The present paper aims to propose the dynamic assessment of creativity for diagnostic purposes, which combines the sociocultural approach to creativity with the findings of creative cognition research. A traditional theorization viewed creativity mainly as an ability of individuals and its expression depending on the extent to which their environment allows and supports it. According to the individualistic approach of creativity, static testing has been its predominant psychological assessment. However, the traditional approach to creativity has been criticized from a sociocultural theoretical perspective that regards creativity as distributed cognition between the mind and culture in recent years. Based on sociocultural theory, dynamic assessment of creativity is an alternative process to static testing for assessing creative potential. Besides testing, in dynamic assessment, the cognitive strategies of creativity that creative cognition research has revealed are mediated in children as symbolic tools or signs. Therefore, in dynamic assessment, sociocultural theory is combined with creative cognition. In the present paper, initially, we present the relevant theory and research on dynamic assessment and creative cognition. Next, studies applying dynamic assessment to children of different ages and devising the mediation protocol will be discussed. Finally, we will consider the psychological and educational implications of dynamic assessment of children’s creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Zbainos
- Department of Economics and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
- School of Education, University of Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Charis Sagia
- Department of Economics and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
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12
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Gande N. Neural Phenomenon in Musicality: The Interpretation of Dual-Processing Modes in Melodic Perception. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:823325. [PMID: 35496061 PMCID: PMC9051476 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.823325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The confluence of creativity in music performance finds itself in performance practices and cultural motifs, the communication of the human body along with the instrument it interacts with, and individual performers' perceptual, motor, and cognitive abilities that contribute to varied musical interpretations of the same piece or melodic line. The musical and artistic execution of a player, as well as the product of this phenomena can become determinant causes in a creative mental state. With advances in neurocognitive measures, the state of one's artistic intuition and execution has been a growing interest in understanding the creative thought process of human behavior, particularly in improvising artists. This article discusses the implementation on the concurrence of spontaneous (Type-1) and controlled (Type-2) processing modes that may be apparent in the perception of non-improvising artists on how melodic lines are perceived in music performance. Elucidating the cortical-subcortical activity in the dual-process model may extend to non-improvising musicians explored in the paradigm of neural correlates. These interactions may open new possibilities for expanding the repertoire of executive functions, creativity, and the coordinated activity of cortical-subcortical regions that regulate the free flow of artistic ideas and expressive spontaneity in future neuromusical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathazsha Gande
- Department of A-Levels, HELP University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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13
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Cortes RA, Colaizzi GA, Dyke EL, Peterson EG, Walker DL, Kolvoord RA, Uttal DH, Green AE. Individual Differences in Parietal and Premotor Activity During Spatial Cognition Predict Figural Creativity. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2022.2049532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Differential effects of semantic distance, distractor salience, and relations in verbal analogy. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1480-1491. [PMID: 35132581 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02062-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Prior studies of A:B::C:D verbal analogies have identified several factors that affect performance, including the semantic similarity between source and target domains (semantic distance), the semantic association between the C-term and incorrect answers (distracter salience), and the type of relations between word pairs. However, it is unclear how these stimulus properties affect performance when utilized together. To test their interactive effects, we created a verbal analogy stimulus set that factorially crossed these factors and presented participants with an analogical stem (A:B::C:?) with two response choices: an analogically correct (D) and incorrect distracter (D') term. The semantic distance between source and target word pairs was manipulated creating near (BOWL:DISH::SPOON:SILVERWARE) and far (WRENCH:TOOL::SAD:MOOD) analogies. The salience of an incorrect distracter (D') was manipulated using the sematic distance with the C-term creating low (DRAWER) and high (FORK) salience distracters. Causal, compositional, and categorical relations were presented across these conditions. Accuracies were higher for semantically near than far analogies and when distracter salience was low than high. Categorical relations yielded better performance than the causal and compositional relations. Moreover, a three-way interaction demonstrated that the effects of semantic distance and distracter salience had a greater impact on performance for compositional and causal relations than for the categorical ones. We theorize that causal and compositional analogies, given their less semantically constrained responses, require more inhibitory control than more constraining relations (e.g., categorical).
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15
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Zamani A, Carhart-Harris R, Christoff K. Prefrontal contributions to the stability and variability of thought and conscious experience. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:329-348. [PMID: 34545195 PMCID: PMC8616944 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01147-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The human prefrontal cortex is a structurally and functionally heterogenous brain region, including multiple subregions that have been linked to different large-scale brain networks. It contributes to a broad range of mental phenomena, from goal-directed thought and executive functions to mind-wandering and psychedelic experience. Here we review what is known about the functions of different prefrontal subregions and their affiliations with large-scale brain networks to examine how they may differentially contribute to the diversity of mental phenomena associated with prefrontal function. An important dimension that distinguishes across different kinds of conscious experience is the stability or variability of mental states across time. This dimension is a central feature of two recently introduced theoretical frameworks-the dynamic framework of thought (DFT) and the relaxed beliefs under psychedelics (REBUS) model-that treat neurocognitive dynamics as central to understanding and distinguishing between different mental phenomena. Here, we bring these two frameworks together to provide a synthesis of how prefrontal subregions may differentially contribute to the stability and variability of thought and conscious experience. We close by considering future directions for this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre Zamani
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Robin Carhart-Harris
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Kalina Christoff
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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16
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Ren P, Ma M, Wu D, Ma Y. Frontopolar tDCS Induces Frequency-Dependent Changes of Spontaneous Low-Frequency Fluctuations: A Resting-State fMRI Study. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:3542-3552. [PMID: 34918029 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technique that can modulate cortical excitability and behavioral performance. However, its effects on spontaneous low-frequency fluctuations of brain activity are still poorly understood. Here, we systematically investigated the frontopolar tDCS effects on resting-state brain activity and connectivity. Twelve healthy participants were recruited and received anode, cathode, and sham stimulation in a randomized order. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after stimulation. Functional connectivity was calculated to examine tDCS effects within and beyond the frontopolar network. To assess the frequency-dependent changes of brain activity, fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) was computed in the slow-4 (0.027-0.073 Hz) and slow-5 (0.01-0.027 Hz) bands. The results showed anodal tDCS-induced widespread connectivity reduction within and beyond the frontopolar network. Regardless of tDCS polarity, stimulation effect on fALFF was significantly larger in slow-5 band compared with the slow-4. Notably, anodal tDCS-induced connectivity changes were associated with pre-tDCS fALFF in slow-4 band, showing positive correlations in the frontal regions and negative correlations in the temporal regions. Our findings imply that tDCS-induced brain alterations may be frequency-dependent, and pre-tDCS regional brain activity could be used to predict post-tDCS connectivity changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Ren
- The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518020, China.,The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518020, China.,Institute of Biophysics, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Manxiu Ma
- Institute of Biophysics, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.,Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA
| | - Donghui Wu
- The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Shenzhen Mental Health Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518020, China.,The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518020, China
| | - Yuanye Ma
- School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China
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17
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Beaty RE, Cortes RA, Zeitlen DC, Weinberger AB, Green AE. Functional Realignment of Frontoparietal Subnetworks during Divergent Creative Thinking. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4464-4476. [PMID: 33895837 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Creative cognition has been consistently associated with functional connectivity between frontoparietal control and default networks. However, recent research identified distinct connectivity dynamics for subnetworks within the larger frontoparietal system-one subnetwork (FPCNa) shows positive coupling with the default network and another subnetwork (FPCNb) shows negative default coupling-raising questions about how these networks interact during creative cognition. Here we examine frontoparietal subnetwork functional connectivity in a large sample of participants (n = 171) who completed a divergent creative thinking task and a resting-state scan during fMRI. We replicated recent findings on functional connectivity of frontoparietal subnetworks at rest: FPCNa positively correlated with the default network and FPCNb negatively correlated with the default network. Critically, we found that divergent thinking evoked functional connectivity between both frontoparietal subnetworks and the default network, but in different ways. Using community detection, we found that FPCNa regions showed greater coassignment to a default network community. However, FPCNb showed overall stronger functional connectivity with the default network-reflecting a reversal of negative connectivity at rest-and the strength of FPCNb-default network connectivity correlated with individual creative ability. These findings provide novel evidence of a behavioral benefit to the cooperation of typically anticorrelated brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Robert A Cortes
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Daniel C Zeitlen
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801, USA
| | - Adam B Weinberger
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.,Center for Neuroaesthetics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Adam E Green
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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18
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Patil AU, Madathil D, Huang CM. Healthy Aging Alters the Functional Connectivity of Creative Cognition in the Default Mode Network and Cerebellar Network. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:607988. [PMID: 33679372 PMCID: PMC7929978 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.607988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Creativity is a higher-order neurocognitive process that produces unusual and unique thoughts. Behavioral and neuroimaging studies of younger adults have revealed that creative performance is the product of dynamic and spontaneous processes involving multiple cognitive functions and interactions between large-scale brain networks, including the default mode network (DMN), fronto-parietal executive control network (ECN), and salience network (SN). In this resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) study, group independent component analysis (group-ICA) and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) measures were applied to examine whether and how various functional connected networks of the creative brain, particularly the default-executive and cerebro-cerebellar networks, are altered with advancing age. The group-ICA approach identified 11 major brain networks across age groups that reflected age-invariant resting-state networks. Compared with older adults, younger adults exhibited more specific and widespread dorsal network and sensorimotor network connectivity within and between the DMN, fronto-parietal ECN, and visual, auditory, and cerebellar networks associated with creativity. This outcome suggests age-specific changes in the functional connected network, particularly in the default-executive and cerebro-cerebellar networks. Our connectivity data further elucidate the critical roles of the cerebellum and cerebro-cerebellar connectivity in creativity in older adults. Furthermore, our findings provide evidence supporting the default-executive coupling hypothesis of aging and novel insights into the interactions of cerebro-cerebellar networks with creative cognition in older adults, which suggest alterations in the cognitive processes of the creative aging brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Uday Patil
- Department of Sensor and Biomedical Technology, School of Electronics Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India.,Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Deepa Madathil
- Department of Sensor and Biomedical Technology, School of Electronics Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India
| | - Chih-Mao Huang
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-Devices (IDS2B), National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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19
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Enhancing creativity by altering the frontoparietal control network functioning using transcranial direct current stimulation. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:613-626. [PMID: 33388813 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-020-06023-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The left angular gyrus (AG), part of the frontotemporal network, is implicated in creative thinking, including verbal creativity tasks such as novel metaphor generation. The current study tested the effects of tDCS over the left AG on two metaphor generation tasks. The study was a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover study of anodal vs. cathodal stimulation by tDCS. Compared to sham, cathodal stimulation resulted in significantly increased novel metaphor generation, while anodal stimulation increased conventional metaphor generation. Higher motivation (behavioral approach system's "fun-seeking") was associated with greater metaphor creativity in the sham condition, and lower fun seeking was associated with producing a greater quantity of conventional metaphors. Following active stimulation, motivation traits no longer contributed to creative metaphor generation. Thus, the beneficial effect of cathodal tDCS over the left AG in generation of novel metaphors is through restraining the control network. The current study gives a glimpse into the neural basis for creative thinking.
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20
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Pastén LE. PENSAMIENTO METACOGNITIVO, CRÍTICO Y CREATIVO EN CONTEXTOS EDUCATIVOS: CONCEPTUALIZACIÓN Y SUGERENCIAS DIDÁCTICAS. PSICOLOGIA ESCOLAR E EDUCACIONAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/2175-35392021220278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
RESUMEN El presente artículo aborda los conceptos de pensamiento metacognitivo, crítico y creativo, planteando una revisión desde los aportes desde la psicología y desde la neurociencia cognitiva, y su impacto tanto en el aprendizaje como en el rendimiento académico. Como primer objetivo, se plantea una conceptualización de los procesos de pensamiento metacognitivo, crítico y creativo según la literatura clásica y actual. En segundo lugar, se sugieren algunas acciones didácticas a los profesionales de la educación para estimular el desarrollo de cada uno de los tipos de pensamiento. Como resultado de la revisión y la reflexión, se concluye que el desarrollo del pensamiento es clave para hacer más eficientes los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje, puesto que el estudiante adquiere un rol activo y autonomía en la construcción del conocimiento y el desarrollo de habilidades, que trascienden a las diferentes esferas del desarrollo humano.
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21
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Orwig W, Diez I, Vannini P, Beaty R, Sepulcre J. Creative Connections: Computational Semantic Distance Captures Individual Creativity and Resting-State Functional Connectivity. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:499-509. [PMID: 33284079 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies of creative cognition have revealed interactions between functional brain networks involved in the generation of novel ideas; however, the neural basis of creativity is highly complex and presents a great challenge in the field of cognitive neuroscience, partly because of ambiguity around how to assess creativity. We applied a novel computational method of verbal creativity assessment-semantic distance-and performed weighted degree functional connectivity analyses to explore how individual differences in assembly of resting-state networks are associated with this objective creativity assessment. To measure creative performance, a sample of healthy adults (n = 175) completed a battery of divergent thinking (DT) tasks, in which they were asked to think of unusual uses for everyday objects. Computational semantic models were applied to calculate the semantic distance between objects and responses to obtain an objective measure of DT performance. All participants underwent resting-state imaging, from which we computed voxel-wise connectivity matrices between all gray matter voxels. A linear regression analysis was applied between DT and weighted degree of the connectivity matrices. Our analysis revealed a significant connectivity decrease in the visual-temporal and parietal regions, in relation to increased levels of DT. Link-level analyses showed higher local connectivity within visual regions was associated with lower DT, whereas projections from the precuneus to the right inferior occipital and temporal cortex were positively associated with DT. Our results demonstrate differential patterns of resting-state connectivity associated with individual creative thinking ability, extending past work using a new application to automatically assess creativity via semantic distance.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Orwig
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
| | - Ibai Diez
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
| | - Patrizia Vannini
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.,Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
| | | | - Jorge Sepulcre
- Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
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22
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Developing a neurally informed ontology of creativity measurement. Neuroimage 2020; 221:117166. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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23
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Marron TR, Berant E, Axelrod V, Faust M. Spontaneous cognition and its relationship to human creativity: A functional connectivity study involving a chain free association task. Neuroimage 2020; 220:117064. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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24
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Benedek M, Jurisch J, Koschutnig K, Fink A, Beaty RE. Elements of creative thought: Investigating the cognitive and neural correlates of association and bi-association processes. Neuroimage 2020; 210:116586. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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25
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Community structure of the creative brain at rest. Neuroimage 2020; 210:116578. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
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26
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Salvi C, Beeman M, Bikson M, McKinley R, Grafman J. TDCS to the right anterior temporal lobe facilitates insight problem-solving. Sci Rep 2020; 10:946. [PMID: 31969588 PMCID: PMC6976642 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-57724-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Problem-solving is essential for advances in cultural, social, and scientific knowledge. It is also one of the most challenging cognitive processes to facilitate. Some problem-solving is deliberate, but frequently people solve problems with a sudden insight, also known as a Eureka or "Aha!" moment. The advantage of solving problems via insight is that these solutions are more accurate, relying on a unique pattern of neural activity, compared to deliberative strategies. The right Anterior Temporal Lobe (rATL), putatively involved in semantic integration, is distinctively activated when people experience an insight. The rATL may contribute to the recognition of distant semantic relations that support insight solutions, although fMRI and EEG evidence for its involvement is, by nature, correlational. In this study, we investigate if focal sub-threshold neuromodulation to the rATL facilitates insight problem-solving. In three different groups, using a within- and between-subjects design, we tested the causal role of this brain region in problem-solving, by applying High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the rATL (active and sham condition) or the left frontopolar region while participants attempted to solve Compound Remote Associates problems before, during and after stimulation. Participants solved a higher percentage of problems, overall, and specifically by insight when they received rATL stimulation, compared to pre-stimulation, and compared to sham and left frontopolar stimulation. These results confirm the crucial role played by the rATL in insight problem-solving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Salvi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Mark Beeman
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Marom Bikson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, USA
| | - Richard McKinley
- Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA
- Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology, Cognitive Neurology, and Alzheimer's Center, Department of Psychiatry, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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27
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Tempest GD, Radel R. Put on your (fNIRS) thinking cap: Frontopolar activation during augmented state creativity. Behav Brain Res 2019; 373:112082. [PMID: 31301410 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Thinking creatively requires the ability to consciously augment creative insight through processes such as analogical reasoning and relational cognition. Prior work has examined augmented states of creativity using a modified verb generation task which requires brief engagement in attempts to think creatively during MRI. In this study, we employed the verb generation task to examine augmented creative states and frontopolar cortex activation in a less-constrained setting using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Participants (n = 29) were presented with a noun and were required to think of an associated verb. In 50% of the trials, participants were instructed to 'think creatively' (cued condition) as opposed to stating the first or most prominent verb that came to mind (uncued condition). The task was administered in French to native speakers. Hemodynamic responses were recorded over the frontopolar cortex using fNIRS. The relatedness of the noun-verb pairs was calculated and other measures of creativity (the Alternate Uses Test, Compound Remote Associate Test and the Biographical Inventory of Creative Behaviors) were recorded. We showed that in the cued condition, semantic scores were higher (indicating more creative responses), positively associated with other measures of creativity, and changes in oxygenated hemoglobin were larger and more extensive in the left frontopolar cortex, than in the uncued condition. Our findings support the use of the verb generation task (administered in French) to augment creative states and provides further validation of the use of the task to capture creativity (i.e., processes involved in generating creative responses through distant associations). We highlight the use of fNIRS to measure associated regional changes in frontopolar cortex activity during augmented states of creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin D Tempest
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratoire Motricité Humaine Expertise Sport Santé (LAMHESS), Nice, France; Stanford University, Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Stanford, USA.
| | - Rémi Radel
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratoire Motricité Humaine Expertise Sport Santé (LAMHESS), Nice, France
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28
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Stevens CE, Zabelina DL. Creativity comes in waves: an EEG-focused exploration of the creative brain. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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29
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Bendetowicz D, Urbanski M, Garcin B, Foulon C, Levy R, Bréchemier ML, Rosso C, Thiebaut de Schotten M, Volle E. Two critical brain networks for generation and combination of remote associations. Brain 2019; 141:217-233. [PMID: 29182714 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awx294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent functional imaging findings in humans indicate that creativity relies on spontaneous and controlled processes, possibly supported by the default mode and the fronto-parietal control networks, respectively. Here, we examined the ability to generate and combine remote semantic associations, in relation to creative abilities, in patients with focal frontal lesions. Voxel-based lesion-deficit mapping, disconnection-deficit mapping and network-based lesion-deficit approaches revealed critical prefrontal nodes and connections for distinct mechanisms related to creative cognition. Damage to the right medial prefrontal region, or its potential disrupting effect on the default mode network, affected the ability to generate remote ideas, likely by altering the organization of semantic associations. Damage to the left rostrolateral prefrontal region and its connections, or its potential disrupting effect on the left fronto-parietal control network, spared the ability to generate remote ideas but impaired the ability to appropriately combine remote ideas. Hence, the current findings suggest that damage to specific nodes within the default mode and fronto-parietal control networks led to a critical loss of verbal creative abilities by altering distinct cognitive mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Bendetowicz
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Neurology Department, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Marika Urbanski
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Hôpitaux de Saint-Maurice, Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, 94410 Saint-Maurice, France.,Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM), Brain Connectivity and Behaviour group, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Béatrice Garcin
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Neurology Department, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Chris Foulon
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM), Brain Connectivity and Behaviour group, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Richard Levy
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Neurology Department, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Marie-Laure Bréchemier
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France
| | - Charlotte Rosso
- Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM), CENIR, 75013 Paris, France.,Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Urgences cérébro-Vasculaires, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Michel Thiebaut de Schotten
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM), Brain Connectivity and Behaviour group, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Volle
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM) - FrontLab, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'hôpital, F-75013, Paris, France.,Institut du cerveau et la moelle épinière (ICM), Brain Connectivity and Behaviour group, 75013 Paris, France
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30
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Barbot B. The Dynamics of Creative Ideation: Introducing a New Assessment Paradigm. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2529. [PMID: 30618952 PMCID: PMC6297799 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite six decades of creative cognition research, measures of creative ideation have heavily relied on divergent thinking tasks, which still suffer from conceptual, design, and psychometric shortcomings. These shortcomings have greatly impeded the accurate study of creative ideation, its dynamics, development, and integration as part of a comprehensive psychological assessment. After a brief overview of the historical and current anchoring of creative ideation measurement, overlooked challenges in its most common operationalization (i.e., divergent thinking tasks framework) are discussed. They include (1) the reliance on a single stimulus as a starting point of the creative ideation process (stimulus-dependency), (2) the analysis of response quality based on a varying number of observations across test-takers (fluency-dependency), and (3) the production of "static" cumulative performance indicators. Inspired from an emerging line of work from the field of cognitive neuroscience of creativity, this paper introduces a new assessment framework referred to as "Multi-Trial Creative Ideation" (MTCI). This framework shifts the current measurement paradigm by (1) offering a variety of stimuli presented in a well-defined set of ideation "trials," (2) reinterprets the concept of ideational fluency using a time-analysis of idea generation, and (3) captures individual dynamics in the ideation process (e.g., modeling the effort-time required to reach a response of maximal uncommonness) while controlling for stimulus-specific sources of variation. Advantages of the MTCI framework over the classic divergent thinking paradigm are discussed in light of current directions in the field of creativity research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Barbot
- Department of Psychology, Pace University, New York City, NY, United States.,Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
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31
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Hass RW, Beaty RE. Use or Consequences: Probing the Cognitive Difference Between Two Measures of Divergent Thinking. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2327. [PMID: 30542311 PMCID: PMC6278612 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted both similarities and differences between the cognitive processing that underpins memory retrieval and that which underpins creative thinking. To date, studies have focused more heavily on the Alternative Uses task, but fewer studies have investigated the processing underpinning other idea generation tasks. This study examines both Alternative Uses and Consequences idea generation with a methods pulled from cognitive psychology, and a novel method for evaluating the creativity of such responses. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk using a custom interface allowing for requisite experimental control. Results showed that both Alternative Uses and Consequences generation are well approximated by an exponential cumulative response time model, consistent with studies of memory retrieval. Participants were also slower to generate their first consequence compared with first responses to Alternative Uses, but inter-response time was negatively related to pairwise similarity on both tasks. Finally, the serial order effect is exhibited for both tasks, with Consequences earning more creative evaluations than Uses. The results have implications for burgeoning neuroscience research on creative thinking, and suggestions are made for future areas of inquiry. In addition, the experimental apparatus described provides an equitable way for researchers to obtain good quality cognitive data for divergent thinking tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Hass
- College of Humanities and Sciences, Thomas Jefferson University-East Falls, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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32
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Adnan A, Beaty R, Silvia P, Spreng RN, Turner GR. Creative aging: functional brain networks associated with divergent thinking in older and younger adults. Neurobiol Aging 2018; 75:150-158. [PMID: 30572185 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Creative thinking is associated with connectivity between the default and executive control networks in the young brain. In aging, this pattern of functional coupling has been observed across multiple tasks. We have described this as the Default-Executive Coupling Hypothesis of Aging and suggest that this connectivity pattern may also be associated with creativity in older adulthood. However, age differences in brain networks implicated in creativity have yet to be investigated. The overarching goal of the present study was to examine age-related changes to functional brain networks associated with creativity. Specifically, we explored functional connectivity patterns among default and executive control brain regions associated with creative thoughts in older and younger adults. In a cross-sectional design, young (mean age = 21 y; n = 30) and older (mean age = 70 y; n = 25) participants completed a divergent thinking task during fMRI, which was examined using region of interest functional connectivity analyses. Consistent with predictions, analyses demonstrated that default and executive networks are more functionally coupled during creative thinking for older than younger adults. Critically, despite similar performance on an in-scanner creativity task, increased network efficiency was associated with creative ability for older adults only. These findings provide novel evidence of default-executive coupling as a putative mechanism associated with creative ability in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Areeba Adnan
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Roger Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gary R Turner
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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33
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Wang X, Bernhardt BC, Karapanagiotidis T, De Caso I, Gonzalez Alam TRDJ, Cotter Z, Smallwood J, Jefferies E. The structural basis of semantic control: Evidence from individual differences in cortical thickness. Neuroimage 2018; 181:480-489. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
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Wang P, Wijnants ML, Ritter SM. What Enables Novel Thoughts? The Temporal Structure of Associations and Its Relationship to Divergent Thinking. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1771. [PMID: 30319488 PMCID: PMC6167455 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the current study is to enhance our understanding of cognitive creativity, specifically divergent thinking, by employing an interdisciplinary methodological approach. By integrating methodology from computational linguistics and complex systems into creativity research, the current study aims to shed light on the relationship between divergent thinking and the temporal structure of semantic associations. In complex systems, temporal structures can be described on a continuum from random to flexible-stable and to persistent. Random structures are highly unpredictable, persistent structures are highly predictable, and flexible-stable structures are in-between, they are partly predictable from previous observations. Temporal structures of associations that are random (e.g., dog-graveyard-north pole) or persistent (e.g., dog-cat-rat) are hypothesized to be detrimental to divergent thinking. However, a flexible-stable structure (e.g., dog-police-drugs) is hypothesized to be related to enhanced divergent thinking (inverted-U). This notion was tested (N = 59) in an association chain task, combined with a frequently used measure of divergent thinking (i.e., Alternative Uses Test). Latent Semantic Analysis from computational linguistics was used to quantify the associations, and methods from complex systems in form of Power Spectral Density analysis and detrended fluctuation analysis were used to estimate the temporal structure of those associations. Although the current study does not confirm that a flexible-stable (vs. random/persistent) temporal structure of associations is related to enhanced divergent thinking skills, it hopefully challenges fellow researchers to refine the recent methodological developments for assessing the (temporal) structure of associations. Moreover, the current cross-fertilization of methodological approaches may inspire creativity researchers to take advantage of other fields' ideas and methods. To derive a theoretically sound cognitive theory of creativity, it is important to integrate research ideas and empirical methods from a variety of disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wang
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Maarten L Wijnants
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Simone M Ritter
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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35
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Weinberger AB, Cortes RA, Green AE, Giordano J. Neuroethical and Social Implications of Using Transcranial Electrical Stimulation to Augment Creative Cognition. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2018.1488199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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36
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Beaty RE, Seli P, Schacter DL. Network Neuroscience of Creative Cognition: Mapping Cognitive Mechanisms and Individual Differences in the Creative Brain. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2018; 27:22-30. [PMID: 30906824 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Network neuroscience research is providing increasing specificity on the contribution of large-scale brain networks to creative cognition. Here, we summarize recent experimental work examining cognitive mechanisms of network interactions and correlational studies assessing network dynamics associated with individual creative abilities. Our review identifies three cognitive processes related to network interactions during creative performance: goal-directed memory retrieval, prepotent-response inhibition, and internally-focused attention. Correlational work using prediction modeling indicates that functional connectivity between networks-particularly the executive control and default networks-can reliably predict an individual's creative thinking ability. We discuss potential directions for future network neuroscience, including assessing creative performance in specific domains and using brain stimulation to test causal hypotheses regarding network interactions and cognitive mechanisms of creative thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University
| | - Paul Seli
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
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37
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Lucchiari C, Sala PM, Vanutelli ME. Promoting Creativity Through Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). A Critical Review. Front Behav Neurosci 2018; 12:167. [PMID: 30116184 PMCID: PMC6082949 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Creativity, meant as the ability to produce novel, original and suitable ideas, has received increased attention by research in the last years, especially from neuroaesthetics and social neuroscience. Besides the research conducted on the neural correlates of such capacities, previous work tried to answer the question of whether it is possible to enhance creativity through cognitive and neural stimulation. In particular, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied to increase neuronal excitability in those areas related to creativity. However, being a complex construct that applies to a huge variety of situations, available results are often confusing and inconsistent. Thus, in the present critical review, after selecting original research articles investigating creativity with tDCS, results will be reviewed and framed according to the different effects of tDCS and its underlying mechanisms, which can be defined as follows: the promotion of self-focused attention; the disruption of inhibiting mechanisms; the enhancement of creative thinking; the promotion of artistic enactment. Finally, a theoretical perspective, the creative on/off model, will be provided to integrate the reported evidence with respect to both anatomical and functional issues and propose a cognitive explanation of the emergence of creative thinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Lucchiari
- Department of Philosophy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Maria Sala
- Department of Philosophy, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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38
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Chapman SB, Spence JS, Aslan S, Keebler MW. Enhancing Innovation and Underlying Neural Mechanisms Via Cognitive Training in Healthy Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2017; 9:314. [PMID: 29062276 PMCID: PMC5640779 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive interventions, such as cognitive training (CT) and physical exercise, are gaining momentum as ways to augment both cognitive and brain function throughout life. One of the most fundamental yet little studied aspects of human cognition is innovative thinking, especially in older adults. In this study, we utilize a measure of innovative cognition that examines both the quantity and quality of abstracted interpretations. This randomized pilot trial in cognitively normal adults (56–75 years) compared the effect of cognitive reasoning training (SMART) on innovative cognition as measured by Multiple Interpretations Measure (MIM). We also examined brain changes in relation to MIM using two MRI-based measurement of arterial spin labeling (ASL) to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) and functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to measure default mode and central executive network (CEN) synchrony at rest. Participants (N = 58) were randomized to the CT, physical exercise (physical training, PT) or control (CN) group where CT and PT groups received training for 3 h/week over 12 weeks. They were assessed at baseline-, mid- and post-training using innovative cognition and MRI measures. First, the CT group showed significant gains pre- to post-training on the innovation measure whereas the physical exercise and control groups failed to show significant gains. Next, the CT group showed increased CBF in medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC) and bilateral posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), two nodes within the Default Mode Network (DMN) compared to physical exercise and control groups. Last, significant correlations were found between innovation performance and connectivity of two major networks: CEN (positive correlation) and DMN (negative correlation). These results support the view that both the CEN and DMN are important for enhancement of innovative cognition. We propose that neural mechanisms in healthy older adults can be modified through reasoning training to better subserve enhanced innovative cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra B Chapman
- Department of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Jeffrey S Spence
- Department of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Sina Aslan
- Department of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States.,Advance MRI, LLC, Frisco, TX, United States
| | - Molly W Keebler
- Department of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
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39
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Rozenkrantz L, Mayo AE, Ilan T, Hart Y, Noy L, Alon U. Placebo can enhance creativity. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182466. [PMID: 28892513 PMCID: PMC5593173 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The placebo effect is usually studied in clinical settings for decreasing negative symptoms such as pain, depression and anxiety. There is interest in exploring the placebo effect also outside the clinic, for enhancing positive aspects of performance or cognition. Several studies indicate that placebo can enhance cognitive abilities including memory, implicit learning and general knowledge. Here, we ask whether placebo can enhance creativity, an important aspect of human cognition. METHODS Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group who smelled and rated an odorant (n = 45), and a placebo group who were treated identically but were also told that the odorant increases creativity and reduces inhibitions (n = 45). Subjects completed a recently developed automated test for creativity, the creative foraging game (CFG), and a randomly chosen subset (n = 57) also completed two manual standardized creativity tests, the alternate uses test (AUT) and the Torrance test (TTCT). In all three tests, participants were asked to create as many original solutions and were scored for originality, flexibility and fluency. RESULTS The placebo group showed higher originality than the control group both in the CFG (p<0.04, effect size = 0.5) and in the AUT (p<0.05, effect size = 0.4), but not in the Torrance test. The placebo group also found more shapes outside of the standard categories found by a set of 100 CFG players in a previous study, a feature termed out-of-the-boxness (p<0.01, effect size = 0.6). CONCLUSIONS The findings indicate that placebo can enhance the originality aspect of creativity. This strengthens the view that placebo can be used not only to reduce negative clinical symptoms, but also to enhance positive aspects of cognition. Furthermore, we find that the impact of placebo on creativity can be tested by CFG, which can quantify multiple aspects of creative search without need for manual coding. This approach opens the way to explore the behavioral and neural mechanisms by which placebo might amplify creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liron Rozenkrantz
- Theater lab, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Dept. Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Dept. Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Avraham E. Mayo
- Theater lab, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Dept. Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tomer Ilan
- Theater lab, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yuval Hart
- Theater lab, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Dept. Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Lior Noy
- Theater lab, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Dept. Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- * E-mail: (LN); (UA)
| | - Uri Alon
- Theater lab, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Dept. Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- * E-mail: (LN); (UA)
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40
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Weinberger AB, Green AE, Chrysikou EG. Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to Enhance Creative Cognition: Interactions between Task, Polarity, and Stimulation Site. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:246. [PMID: 28559804 PMCID: PMC5432551 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Creative cognition is frequently described as involving two primary processes, idea generation and idea selection. A growing body of research has used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to examine the neural mechanisms implicated in each of these processes. This literature has yielded a diverse set of findings that vary depending on the location and type (anodal, cathodal, or both) of electrical stimulation employed, as well as the task's reliance on idea generation or idea selection. As a result, understanding the interactions between stimulation site, polarity and task demands is required to evaluate the potential of tDCS to enhance creative performance. Here, we review tDCS designs that have elicited reliable and dissociable enhancements for creative cognition. Cathodal stimulation over the left inferior frontotemporal cortex has been associated with improvements on tasks that rely primarily on idea generation, whereas anodal tDCS over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontopolar cortex has been shown to augment performance on tasks that impose high demands on creative idea selection. These results highlight the functional selectivity of tDCS for different components of creative thinking and confirm the dissociable contributions of left dorsal and inferior lateral frontotemporal cortex for different creativity tasks. We discuss promising avenues for future research that can advance our understanding of the effectiveness of tDCS as a method to enhance creative cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam E Green
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC, USA
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41
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Lopata JA, Nowicki EA, Joanisse MF. Creativity as a distinct trainable mental state: An EEG study of musical improvisation. Neuropsychologia 2017; 99:246-258. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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42
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Green AE, Spiegel KA, Giangrande EJ, Weinberger AB, Gallagher NM, Turkeltaub PE. Thinking Cap Plus Thinking Zap: tDCS of Frontopolar Cortex Improves Creative Analogical Reasoning and Facilitates Conscious Augmentation of State Creativity in Verb Generation. Cereb Cortex 2017; 27:2628-2639. [PMID: 27075035 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging evidence indicates neural mechanisms that support transient improvements in creative performance (augmented state creativity) in response to cognitive interventions (creativity cueing). Separately, neural interventions via tDCS show encouraging potential for modulating neuronal function during creative performance. If cognitive and neural interventions are separately effective, can they be combined? Does state creativity augmentation represent "real" creativity, or do interventions simply yield divergence by diminishing meaningfulness/appropriateness? Can augmenting state creativity bolster creative reasoning that supports innovation, particularly analogical reasoning? To address these questions, we combined tDCS with creativity cueing. Testing a regionally specific hypothesis from neuroimaging, high-definition tDCS-targeted frontopolar cortex activity recently shown to predict state creativity augmentation. In a novel analogy finding task, participants under tDCS formulated substantially more creative analogical connections in a large matrix search space (creativity indexed via latent semantic analysis). Critically, increased analogical creativity was not due to diminished accuracy in discerning valid analogies, indicating "real" creativity rather than inappropriate divergence. A simpler relational creativity paradigm (modified verb generation) revealed a tDCS-by-cue interaction; tDCS further enhanced creativity cue-related increases in semantic distance. Findings point to the potential of noninvasive neuromodulation to enhance creative relational cognition, including augmentation of the deliberate effort to formulate connections between distant concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam E Green
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Evan J Giangrande
- Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Adam B Weinberger
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Peter E Turkeltaub
- Department of Neurology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.,Research Division, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
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Beaty RE, Christensen AP, Benedek M, Silvia PJ, Schacter DL. Creative constraints: Brain activity and network dynamics underlying semantic interference during idea production. Neuroimage 2017; 148:189-196. [PMID: 28082106 PMCID: PMC6083214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging research has recently revealed brain network interactions during performance on creative thinking tasks-particularly among regions of the default and executive control networks-but the cognitive mechanisms related to these interactions remain poorly understood. Here we test the hypothesis that the executive control network can interact with the default network to inhibit salient conceptual knowledge (i.e., pre-potent responses) elicited from memory during creative idea production. Participants studied common noun-verb pairs and were given a cued-recall test with corrective feedback to strengthen the paired association in memory. They then completed a verb generation task that presented either a previously studied noun (high-constraint) or an unstudied noun (low-constraint), and were asked to "think creatively" while searching for a novel verb to relate to the presented noun. Latent Semantic Analysis of verbal responses showed decreased semantic distance values in the high-constraint (i.e., interference) condition, which corresponded to increased neural activity within regions of the default (posterior cingulate cortex and bilateral angular gyri), salience (right anterior insula), and executive control (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) networks. Independent component analysis of intrinsic functional connectivity networks extended this finding by revealing differential interactions among these large-scale networks across the task conditions. The results suggest that interactions between the default and executive control networks underlie response inhibition during constrained idea production, providing insight into specific neurocognitive mechanisms supporting creative cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, USA.
| | | | | | - Paul J Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, USA
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44
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Brain morphometry predicts individual creative potential and the ability to combine remote ideas. Cortex 2017; 86:216-229. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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45
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Rosen DS, Erickson B, Kim YE, Mirman D, Hamilton RH, Kounios J. Anodal tDCS to Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Facilitates Performance for Novice Jazz Improvisers but Hinders Experts. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:579. [PMID: 27899889 PMCID: PMC5110534 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on creative cognition reveals a fundamental disagreement about the nature of creative thought, specifically, whether it is primarily based on automatic, associative (Type-1) or executive, controlled (Type-2) processes. We hypothesized that Type-1 and Type-2 processes make differential contributions to creative production that depend on domain expertise. We tested this hypothesis with jazz pianists whose expertise was indexed by the number of public performances given. Previous fMRI studies of musical improvisation have reported that domain expertise is characterized by deactivation of the right-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (r-DLPFC), a brain area associated with Type-2 executive processing. We used anodal, cathodal, and sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over r-DLPFC with the reference electrode on the contralateral mastoid (1.5 mA for 15 min, except for sham) to modulate the quality of the pianists' performances while they improvised over chords with drum and bass accompaniment. Jazz experts rated each improvisation for creativity, esthetic appeal, and technical proficiency. There was no main effect of anodal or cathodal stimulation on ratings compared to sham; however, a significant interaction between anodal tDCS and expertise emerged such that stimulation benefitted musicians with less experience but hindered those with more experience. We interpret these results as evidence for a dual-process model of creativity in which novices and experts differentially engage Type-1 and Type-2 processes during creative production.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Rosen
- Creativity Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Drexel University Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Brian Erickson
- Creativity Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Drexel University Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Youngmoo E Kim
- Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Daniel Mirman
- Language and Cognitive Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Roy H Hamilton
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John Kounios
- Creativity Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Drexel University Philadelphia, PA, USA
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46
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Dynamic network interactions supporting internally-oriented cognition. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2016; 40:86-93. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2016.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Revised: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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47
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Weinberger AB, Iyer H, Green AE. Conscious Augmentation of Creative State Enhances "Real" Creativity in Open-Ended Analogical Reasoning. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150773. [PMID: 26959821 PMCID: PMC4784911 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans have an impressive ability to augment their creative state (i.e., to consciously try and succeed at thinking more creatively). Though this “thinking cap” phenomenon is commonly experienced, the range of its potential has not been fully explored by creativity research, which has often focused instead on creativity as a trait. A key question concerns the extent to which conscious augmentation of state creativity can improve creative reasoning. Although artistic creativity is also of great interest, it is creative reasoning that frequently leads to innovative advances in science and industry. Here, we studied state creativity in analogical reasoning, a form of relational reasoning that spans the conceptual divide between intelligence and creativity and is a core mechanism for creative innovation. Participants performed a novel Analogy Finding Task paradigm in which they sought valid analogical connections in a matrix of word-pairs. An explicit creativity cue elicited formation of substantially more creative analogical connections (measured via latent semantic analysis). Critically, the increase in creative analogy formation was not due to a generally more liberal criterion for analogy formation (that is, it appeared to reflect “real” creativity rather than divergence at the expense of appropriateness). The use of an online sample provided evidence that state creativity augmentation can be successfully elicited by remote cuing in an online environment. Analysis of an intelligence measure provided preliminary indication that the influential “threshold hypothesis,” which has been proposed to characterize the relationship between intelligence and trait creativity, may be extensible to the new domain of state creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam B Weinberger
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, United States of America
| | - Hari Iyer
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, United States of America
| | - Adam E Green
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, United States of America
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Abstract
Human reasoning and creativity represent perhaps the two highest evolutionary reaches of cognition. These two capacities are distinct from each other, but research on creativity in analogical reasoning has identified a point of convergence between them at one of the farthest forward and most recently evolved reaches of the brain. Analogy is a form of relational cognition because analogies form connections that relate otherwise separate concepts. Quantitative tools for measuring the semantic distance between concepts have advanced the measurement of creativity in relational cognition (more creative relational cognition forms connections across greater semantic distance). These tools are especially useful for the emerging neuroscience of creativity. I describe this semantic-distance approach and how it is being leveraged in my laboratory and elsewhere to investigate not only differences in creative ability between individuals but also creativity as a dynamic state that varies across time within an individual.
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49
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Abstract
Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relation, tend to cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
| | | | - Paul J Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Beaty RE, Benedek M, Silvia PJ, Schacter DL. Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics. Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 20:87-95. [PMID: 26553223 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relation, tend to cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger E Beaty
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
| | | | - Paul J Silvia
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Daniel L Schacter
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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