1
|
Rosen D, Oh Y, Chesebrough C, Zhang FZ, Kounios J. Creative flow as optimized processing: Evidence from brain oscillations during jazz improvisations by expert and non-expert musicians. Neuropsychologia 2024; 196:108824. [PMID: 38387554 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108824] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Using a creative production task, jazz improvisation, we tested alternative hypotheses about the flow experience: (A) that it is a state of domain-specific processing optimized by experience and characterized by minimal interference from task-negative default-mode network (DMN) activity versus (B) that it recruits domain-general task-positive DMN activity supervised by the fronto-parietal control network (FPCN) to support ideation. We recorded jazz guitarists' electroencephalograms (EEGs) while they improvised to provided chord sequences. Their flow-states were measured with the Core Flow State Scale. Flow-related neural sources were reconstructed using SPM12. Over all musicians, high-flow (relative to low-flow) improvisations were associated with transient hypofrontality. High-experience musicians' high-flow improvisations showed reduced activity in posterior DMN nodes. Low-experience musicians showed no flow-related DMN or FPCN modulation. High-experience musicians also showed modality-specific left-hemisphere flow-related activity while low-experience musicians showed modality-specific right-hemisphere flow-related deactivations. These results are consistent with the idea that creative flow represents optimized domain-specific processing enabled by extensive practice paired with reduced cognitive control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Rosen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, United States.
| | - Yongtaek Oh
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, United States.
| | | | - Fengqing Zoe Zhang
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, United States.
| | - John Kounios
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pousson JE, Shen YW, Lin YP, Voicikas A, Pipinis E, Bernhofs V, Burmistrova L, Griskova-Bulanova I. Exploring Spatio-Spectral Electroencephalogram Modulations of Imbuing Emotional Intent During Active Piano Playing. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2023; 31:4347-4356. [PMID: 37883285 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2023.3327740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Imbuing emotional intent serves as a crucial modulator of music improvisation during active musical instrument playing. However, most improvisation-related neural endeavors have been gained without considering the emotional context. This study attempts to exploit reproducible spatio-spectral electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillations of emotional intent using a data-driven independent component analysis framework in an ecological multiday piano playing experiment. Through the four-day 32-ch EEG dataset of 10 professional players, we showed that EEG patterns were substantially affected by both intra- and inter-individual variability underlying the emotional intent of the dichotomized valence (positive vs. negative) and arousal (high vs. low) categories. Less than half (3-4) of the 10 participants analogously exhibited day-reproducible ( ≥ three days) spectral modulations at the right frontal beta in response to the valence contrast as well as the frontal central gamma and the superior parietal alpha to the arousal counterpart. In particular, the frontal engagement facilitates a better understanding of the frontal cortex (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex) and its role in intervening emotional processes and expressing spectral signatures that are relatively resistant to natural EEG variability. Such ecologically vivid EEG findings may lead to better understanding of the development of a brain-computer music interface infrastructure capable of guiding the training, performance, and appreciation for emotional improvisatory status or actuating music interaction via emotional context.
Collapse
|
3
|
Ramírez-Moreno MA, Cruz-Garza JG, Acharya A, Chatufale G, Witt W, Gelok D, Reza G, Contreras-Vidal JL. Brain-to-brain communication during musical improvisation: a performance case study. F1000Res 2023; 11:989. [PMID: 37809054 PMCID: PMC10558998 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.123515.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding and predicting others' actions in ecological settings is an important research goal in social neuroscience. Here, we deployed a mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) methodology to analyze inter-brain communication between professional musicians during a live jazz performance. Specifically, bispectral analysis was conducted to assess the synchronization of scalp electroencephalographic (EEG) signals from three expert musicians during a three-part 45 minute jazz performance, during which a new musician joined every five minutes. The bispectrum was estimated for all musician dyads, electrode combinations, and five frequency bands. The results showed higher bispectrum in the beta and gamma frequency bands (13-50 Hz) when more musicians performed together, and when they played a musical phrase synchronously. Positive bispectrum amplitude changes were found approximately three seconds prior to the identified synchronized performance events suggesting preparatory cortical activity predictive of concerted behavioral action. Moreover, a higher amount of synchronized EEG activity, across electrode regions, was observed as more musicians performed, with inter-brain synchronization between the temporal, parietal, and occipital regions the most frequent. Increased synchrony between the musicians' brain activity reflects shared multi-sensory processing and movement intention in a musical improvisation task.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio A. Ramírez-Moreno
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, Mexico
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Jesús G. Cruz-Garza
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Akanksha Acharya
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Girija Chatufale
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Woody Witt
- Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
- Houston Community College, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Dan Gelok
- Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | | | - José L. Contreras-Vidal
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Eierud C, Michael A, Banks D, Andrews E. Resting-state functional connectivity in lifelong musicians. PSYCHORADIOLOGY 2023; 3:kkad003. [PMID: 38666119 PMCID: PMC10917383 DOI: 10.1093/psyrad/kkad003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Background It has been postulated that musicianship can lead to enhanced brain and cognitive reserve, but the neural mechanisms of this effect have been poorly understood. Lifelong professional musicianship in conjunction with novel brain imaging techniques offers a unique opportunity to examine brain network differences between musicians and matched controls. Objective In this study we aim to investigate how resting-state functional networks (FNs) manifest in lifelong active musicians. We will evaluate the FNs of lifelong musicians and matched healthy controls using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Methods We derive FNs using the data-driven independent component analysis approach and analyze the functional network connectivity (FNC) between the default mode (DMN), sensory-motor (SMN), visual (VSN), and auditory (AUN) networks. We examine whether the linear regressions between FNC and age are different between the musicians and the control group. Results The age trajectory of average FNC across all six pairs of FNs shows significant differences between musicians and controls. Musicians show an increase in average FNC with age while controls show a decrease (P = 0.013). When we evaluated each pair of FN, we note that in musicians FNC values increased with age in DMN-AUN, DMN-VSN, and SMN-VSN and in controls FNC values decreased with age in DMN-AUN, DMN-SMN, AUN-SMN, and SMN-VSN. Conclusion This result provides early evidence that lifelong musicianship may contribute to enhanced brain and cognitive reserve. Results of this study are preliminary and need to be replicated with a larger number of participants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cyrus Eierud
- Linguistics Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Andrew Michael
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - David Banks
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Edna Andrews
- Linguistics Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rominger C, Gubler DA, Makowski LM, Troche SJ. More creative ideas are associated with increased right posterior power and frontal-parietal/occipital coupling in the upper alpha band: A within-subjects study. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 181:95-103. [PMID: 36057407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The neurophysiological investigation of creative idea generation is a growing research area. EEG studies congruently reported the sensitivity of upper alpha power (10-12 Hz) for the creative ideation process and its outcome. However, the majority of studies were between-subject design studies and research directly comparing the neurophysiological activation pattern when generating more and less creative ideas within a person are rare. Therefore, the present study was specifically focused on investigating brain activation patterns associated with the generation of more vs. less creative ideas. We applied an alternate uses task (AU-task; i.e., finding original uses for everyday objects such as a brick) in a sample of 74 participants and recorded the brain activation during the AU-task and reference period. A portable EEG system with 21 dry electrodes arranged in the international 10-20 system and linked ear as reference was used. We found a higher increase of upper alpha power during creative ideation (relative to reference period, i.e., task-related power, TRP) over right posterior sites when people generated more compared to less creative ideas. This was accompanied by an increase of functional coupling (i.e., task-related coherence increase) between frontal and parietal/occipital sites, which suggests higher internal attention and more control over sensory processes. Taken together, these findings complement the existing creativity research literature and indicate the importance of alpha power for the creative ideation process also within people.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lisa M Makowski
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stefan J Troche
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yoneta N, Watanabe H, Shimojo A, Takano K, Saito T, Yagyu K, Shiraishi H, Yokosawa K, Boasen J. Magnetoencephalography Hyperscanning Evidence of Differing Cognitive Strategies Due to Social Role During Auditory Communication. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:790057. [PMID: 35983225 PMCID: PMC9380591 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.790057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Auditory communication is an essential form of human social interaction. However, the intra-brain cortical-oscillatory drivers of auditory communication exchange remain relatively unexplored. We used improvisational music performance to simulate and capture the creativity and turn-taking dynamics of natural auditory communication. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) hyperscanning in musicians, we targeted brain activity during periods of music communication imagery, and separately analyzed theta (5–7 Hz), alpha (8–13 Hz), and beta (15–29 Hz) source-level activity using a within-subjects, two-factor approach which considered the assigned social role of the subject (leader or follower) and whether communication responses were improvisational (yes or no). Theta activity related to improvisational communication and social role significantly interacted in the left isthmus cingulate cortex. Social role was furthermore differentiated by pronounced occipital alpha and beta amplitude increases suggestive of working memory retention engagement in Followers but not Leaders. The results offer compelling evidence for both musical and social neuroscience that the cognitive strategies, and correspondingly the memory and attention-associated oscillatory brain activities of interlocutors during communication differs according to their social role/hierarchy, thereby indicating that social role/hierarchy needs to be controlled for in social neuroscience research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nano Yoneta
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hayato Watanabe
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Child Studies, Toyooka Junior College, Toyooka, Japan
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Shimojo
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Takano
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takuya Saito
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kazuyori Yagyu
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hideaki Shiraishi
- Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Koichi Yokosawa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- *Correspondence: Koichi Yokosawa,
| | - Jared Boasen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Tech3Lab, HEC Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gopan K G, Reddy SA, Rao M, Sinha N. Analysis of single channel electroencephalographic signals for visual creativity: A pilot study. Biomed Signal Process Control 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bspc.2022.103542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
|
8
|
Lee J, Kim C, Lee KC. An Empirical Approach to Analyzing the Effects of Stress on Individual Creativity in Business Problem-Solving: Emphasis on the Electrocardiogram, Electroencephalogram Methodology. Front Psychol 2022; 13:705442. [PMID: 35391973 PMCID: PMC8983065 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.705442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, experiments were conducted on 30 subjects by means of electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) methodologies as well as a money game to examine the effects of stress on creativity in business problem-solving. The study explained the relationship between creativity and human physiological response using the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. The subjects were asked to perform a cognitive mapping task. Based on the brain wave theory, we identified the types of brain waves and locations of brain activities that occurred during the creative problem-solving process in a business environment and studied the effects of stress on creativity. The results of the experiments showed significant differences in creativity in business problem-solving depending on whether or not stress was triggered. Differences were found in the time domain (SDNN, RMSSD) and frequency domain (HF, LF/HF ratio) of heart rates, a physiological stress indicator, between the stress group and the no-stress group. A brain wave analysis confirmed that alpha waves increased in the frontal lobe of the brain during creative business problem-solving but decreased when the subjects were under stress, during which beta waves in the brain increased. This study seeks to examine creativity in business problem-solving by studying the effects of stress on human physiological response and cognitive functions in the hope of providing a new and objective interpretation of existing research results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jungwoo Lee
- SKK Business School, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Cheong Kim
- SKK Business School, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
- Economics Department, Airports Council International (ACI) World, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kun Chang Lee
- SKK Business School, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Tervaniemi M, Pousi S, Seppälä M, Tommi M. Brain oscillation recordings of the audience in a live concert-like setting. Cogn Process 2021; 23:329-337. [PMID: 34958421 PMCID: PMC9072464 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-021-01072-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
There are only a few previous EEG studies that were conducted while the audience is listening to live music. However, in laboratory settings using music recordings, EEG frequency bands theta and alpha are connected to music improvisation and creativity. Here, we measured EEG of the audience in a concert-like setting outside the laboratory and compared the theta and alpha power evoked by partly improvised versus regularly performed familiar versus unfamiliar live classical music. To this end, partly improvised and regular versions of pieces by Bach (familiar) and Melartin (unfamiliar) were performed live by a chamber trio. EEG data from left and right frontal and central regions of interest were analysed to define theta and alpha power during each performance. After the performances, the participants rated how improvised and attractive each of the performances were. They also gave their affective ratings before and after each performance. We found that theta power was enhanced during the familiar improvised Bach piece and the unfamiliar improvised Melartin piece when compared with the performance of the same piece performed in a regular manner. Alpha power was not modulated by manner of performance or by familiarity of the piece. Listeners rated partly improvised performances of a familiar Bach and unfamiliar Melartin piece as more improvisatory and innovative than the regular performances. They also indicated more joy and less sadness after listening to the unfamiliar improvised piece of Melartin and less fearful and more enthusiastic after listening to the regular version of Melartin than before listening. Thus, according to our results, it is possible to study listeners’ brain functions with EEG during live music performances outside the laboratory, with theta activity reflecting the presence of improvisation in the performances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mari Tervaniemi
- Cicero Learning, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, POB 9, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland. .,Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, POB 21, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Saara Pousi
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, POB 21, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Maaria Seppälä
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, POB 21, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Makkonen Tommi
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, POB 21, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Yaghmour M, Sarada P, Roach S, Kadar I, Pesheva Z, Chaari A, Bendriss G. EEG Correlates of Middle Eastern Music Improvisations on the Ney Instrument. Front Psychol 2021; 12:701761. [PMID: 34671287 PMCID: PMC8520950 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.701761] [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: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The cognitive sciences have witnessed a growing interest in cognitive and neural basis of human creativity. Music improvisations constitute an ideal paradigm to study creativity, but the underlying cognitive processes remain poorly understood. In addition, studies on music improvisations using scales other than the major and minor chords are scarce. Middle Eastern Music is characterized by the additional use of microtones, resulting in a tonal–spatial system called Maqam. No EEG correlates have been proposed yet for the eight most commonly used maqams. The Ney, an end-blown flute that is popular and widely used in the Middle East was used by a professional musician to perform 24 improvisations at low, medium, and high tempos. Using the EMOTIV EPOC+, a 14-channel wireless EEG headset, brainwaves were recorded and quantified before and during improvisations. Pairwise comparisons were calculated using IBM-SPSS and a principal component analysis was used to evaluate the variability between the maqams. A significant increase of low frequency bands theta power and alpha power were observed at the frontal left and temporal left area as well as a significant increase in higher frequency bands beta-high bands and gamma at the right temporal and left parietal area. This study reveals the first EEG observations of the eight most commonly used maqam and is proposing EEG signatures for various maqams.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sarah Roach
- Premedical Division, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | | | | | - Ali Chaari
- Premedical Division, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, Doha, Qatar
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Abraham A, Rutter B, Hermann C. Conceptual expansion via novel metaphor processing: An ERP replication and extension study examining individual differences in creativity. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 221:105007. [PMID: 34416539 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The aims of the present ERP study were twofold. First, to determine whether a previous study on creative cognition could be replicated, and second, to extend these findings by examining individual differences in creativity. Conceptual expansion, a capacity that is central to creativity, was induced via the processing of novel metaphors. Brain activity patterns in relation to these were compared to the processing of literal and nonsense phrases. The previous findings were replicated in that the N400, known for its sensitivity to semantic anomalies, indexed the originality of the phrases, while a post-N400 late component (LC), which is linked to semantic integration processes, indexed the appropriateness of the phrases. Moreover, only the LC was significantly sensitive to individual differences in creativity in the processing of these phrases. Differences at the level of semantic integration processes as well as the structure of knowledge organization are thereby implicated in individual differences in creativity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Abraham
- Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA; Department of Educational Psychology, Mary Frances Early College of Education, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
| | - Barbara Rutter
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| | - Christiane Hermann
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Spatiospectral brain networks reflective of improvisational experience. Neuroimage 2021; 242:118458. [PMID: 34363958 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118458] [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: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Musical improvisers are trained to categorize certain musical structures into functional classes, which is thought to facilitate improvisation. Using a novel auditory oddball paradigm (Goldman et al., 2020) which enables us to disassociate a deviant (i.e. musical chord inversion) from a consistent functional class, we recorded scalp EEG from a group of musicians who spanned a range of improvisational and classically trained experience. Using a spatiospectral based inter and intra network connectivity analysis, we found that improvisers showed a variety of differences in connectivity within and between large-scale cortical networks compared to classically trained musicians, as a function of deviant type. Inter-network connectivity in the alpha band, for a time window leading up to the behavioural response, was strongly linked to improvisation experience, with the default mode network acting as a hub. Spatiospectral networks post response were substantially different between improvisers and classically trained musicians, with greater inter-network connectivity (specific to the alpha and beta bands) seen in improvisers whereas those with more classical training had largely reduced inter-network activity (mostly in the gamma band). More generally, we interpret our findings in the context of network-level correlates of expectation violation as a function of subject expertise, and we discuss how these may generalize to other and more ecologically valid scenarios.
Collapse
|
13
|
Farrugia N, Lamouroux A, Rocher C, Bouvet J, Lioi G. Beta and Theta Oscillations Correlate With Subjective Time During Musical Improvisation in Ecological and Controlled Settings: A Single Subject Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:626723. [PMID: 34177443 PMCID: PMC8222590 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.626723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we describe the results of a single subject study attempting at a better understanding of the subjective mental state during musical improvisation. In a first experiment, we setup an ecological paradigm measuring EEG on a musician in free improvised concerts with an audience, followed by retrospective rating of the mental state of the improviser. We introduce Subjective Temporal Resolution (STR), a retrospective rating assessing the instantaneous quantization of subjective timing of the improviser. We identified high and low STR states using Hidden Markov Models in two performances, and were able to decode those states using supervised learning on instantaneous EEG power spectrum, showing increases in theta and alpha power with high STR values. In a second experiment, we found an increase of theta and beta power when experimentally manipulating STR in a musical improvisation imagery experiment. These results are interpreted with respect to previous research on flow state in creativity, as well as with the temporal processing literature. We suggest that a component of the subjective state of musical improvisation may be reflected in an underlying mechanism related to the subjective quantization of time. We also demonstrate the feasibility of single case studies of musical improvisation using brain activity measurements and retrospective reports, by obtaining consistent results across multiple sessions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jules Bouvet
- IMT Atlantique, Lab-STICC, UMR CNRS 6285, Brest, France
| | - Giulia Lioi
- IMT Atlantique, Lab-STICC, UMR CNRS 6285, Brest, France
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Ramírez-Moreno MA, Díaz-Padilla M, Valenzuela-Gómez KD, Vargas-Martínez A, Tudón-Martínez JC, Morales-Menendez R, Ramírez-Mendoza RA, Pérez-Henríquez BL, Lozoya-Santos JDJ. EEG-Based Tool for Prediction of University Students' Cognitive Performance in the Classroom. Brain Sci 2021; 11:698. [PMID: 34073242 PMCID: PMC8227309 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This study presents a neuroengineering-based machine learning tool developed to predict students' performance under different learning modalities. Neuroengineering tools are used to predict the learning performance obtained through two different modalities: text and video. Electroencephalographic signals were recorded in the two groups during learning tasks, and performance was evaluated with tests. The results show the video group obtained a better performance than the text group. A correlation analysis was implemented to find the most relevant features to predict students' performance, and to design the machine learning tool. This analysis showed a negative correlation between students' performance and the (theta/alpha) ratio, and delta power, which are indicative of mental fatigue and drowsiness, respectively. These results indicate that users in a non-fatigued and well-rested state performed better during learning tasks. The designed tool obtained 85% precision at predicting learning performance, as well as correctly identifying the video group as the most efficient modality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio A. Ramírez-Moreno
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| | - Mariana Díaz-Padilla
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| | - Karla D. Valenzuela-Gómez
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| | - Adriana Vargas-Martínez
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| | - Juan C. Tudón-Martínez
- School of Engineering and Technologies, Universidad de Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García 66238, Mexico;
| | - Rubén Morales-Menendez
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| | - Ricardo A. Ramírez-Mendoza
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| | | | - Jorge de J. Lozoya-Santos
- School of Engineering and Science, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey 64849, Mexico; (M.A.R.-M.); (M.D.-P.); (K.D.V.-G.); (A.V.-M.); (R.M.-M.); (R.A.R.-M.)
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Daikoku T, Wiggins GA, Nagai Y. Statistical Properties of Musical Creativity: Roles of Hierarchy and Uncertainty in Statistical Learning. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:640412. [PMID: 33958983 PMCID: PMC8093513 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.640412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Creativity is part of human nature and is commonly understood as a phenomenon whereby something original and worthwhile is formed. Owing to this ability, humans can produce innovative information that often facilitates growth in our society. Creativity also contributes to esthetic and artistic productions, such as music and art. However, the mechanism by which creativity emerges in the brain remains debatable. Recently, a growing body of evidence has suggested that statistical learning contributes to creativity. Statistical learning is an innate and implicit function of the human brain and is considered essential for brain development. Through statistical learning, humans can produce and comprehend structured information, such as music. It is thought that creativity is linked to acquired knowledge, but so-called "eureka" moments often occur unexpectedly under subconscious conditions, without the intention to use the acquired knowledge. Given that a creative moment is intrinsically implicit, we postulate that some types of creativity can be linked to implicit statistical knowledge in the brain. This article reviews neural and computational studies on how creativity emerges within the framework of statistical learning in the brain (i.e., statistical creativity). Here, we propose a hierarchical model of statistical learning: statistically chunking into a unit (hereafter and shallow statistical learning) and combining several units (hereafter and deep statistical learning). We suggest that deep statistical learning contributes dominantly to statistical creativity in music. Furthermore, the temporal dynamics of perceptual uncertainty can be another potential causal factor in statistical creativity. Considering that statistical learning is fundamental to brain development, we also discuss how typical versus atypical brain development modulates hierarchical statistical learning and statistical creativity. We believe that this review will shed light on the key roles of statistical learning in musical creativity and facilitate further investigation of how creativity emerges in the brain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Daikoku
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Geraint A. Wiggins
- AI Lab, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yukie Nagai
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for AI and Beyond, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Schiavio A, Benedek M. Dimensions of Musical Creativity. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:578932. [PMID: 33328852 PMCID: PMC7734132 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.578932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Current literature on creative cognition has developed rich conceptual landscapes dedicated to the analysis of both individual and collective forms of creativity. This work has favored the emergence of unifying theories on domain-general creative abilities in which the main experiential, behavioral, computational, and neural aspects involved in everyday creativity are examined and discussed. But while such accounts have gained important analytical leverage for describing the overall conditions and mechanisms through which creativity emerges and operates, they necessarily leave contextual forms of creativity less explored. Among the latter, musical practices have recently drawn the attention of scholars interested in its creative properties as well as in the creative potential of those who engage with them. In the present article, we compare previously posed theories of creativity in musical and non-musical domains to lay the basis of a conceptual framework that mitigates the tension between (i) individual and collective and (ii) domain-general and domain-specific perspectives on creativity. In doing so, we draw from a range of scholarship in music and enactive cognitive science, and propose that creative cognition may be best understood as a process of skillful organism-environment adaptation that one cultivates endlessly. With its focus on embodiment, plurality, and adaptiveness, our account points to a structured unity between living systems and their world, disclosing a variety of novel analytical resources for research and theory across different dimensions of (musical) creativity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schiavio
- Centre for Systematic Musicology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Creativity is associated with a characteristic U-shaped function of alpha power changes accompanied by an early increase in functional coupling. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 19:1012-1021. [PMID: 30756348 PMCID: PMC6711878 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-019-00699-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Although there exists increasing knowledge about brain correlates underlying creative ideation in general, the specific neurocognitive mechanisms implicated in different stages of the creative thinking process are still under-researched. Some recent EEG studies suggested that alpha power during creative ideation varies as a function of time, with the highest levels of alpha power after stimulus onset and at the end of the creative thinking process. The main aim of the present study was to replicate and extend this finding by applying an individual differences approach, and by investigating functional coupling between long distance cortical sites during the process of creative ideation. Eighty-six participants performed the Alternate Uses (AU) task during EEG assessment. Results revealed that more original people showed increased alpha power after stimulus onset and before finalizing the process of idea generation. This U-shaped alpha power pattern was accompanied by an early increase in functional communication between frontal and parietal-occipital sites during the creative thinking process, putatively indicating activation of top-down executive control processes. Participants with lower originality showed no significant time-related variation in alpha power and a delayed increase in long distance functional communication. These findings are in line with dual process models of creative ideation and support the idea that increased alpha power at the beginning of the creative ideation process may indicate more associative modes of thinking and memory processes, while the alpha increases at later stages may indicate executive control processes, associated with idea elaboration/evaluation.
Collapse
|
18
|
Dual-process contributions to creativity in jazz improvisations: An SPM-EEG study. Neuroimage 2020; 213:116632. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
|
19
|
Perchtold-Stefan CM, Papousek I, Rominger C, Schertler M, Weiss EM, Fink A. Humor comprehension and creative cognition: Shared and distinct neurocognitive mechanisms as indicated by EEG alpha activity. Neuroimage 2020; 213:116695. [PMID: 32142882 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Humor comprehension is increasingly recognized as showing parallels to more conventional creative cognition; yet our understanding of brain mechanisms underlying creative cognition in a humorous context is still limited. The present study addressed this issue by investigating functional patterns of EEG alpha activity while 93 participants viewed nonverbal humorous cartoons until they indicated having recognized the punch line, and subsequently vocalized their idea as to what constituted it. In a similar fashion, EEG was also assessed during performance of the Alternate Uses Task (AUT), in order to identify similarities and differences in EEG alpha activity implicated in conventional creative cognition vs. humor comprehension. Analyses revealed a pattern of robust task-related alpha power increases in both tasks, which were markedly more right-lateralized at ventral fronto-temporal sites in the humor task as compared to the AUT. Findings are interpreted in line with recent literature on the functional role of alpha activity in the creativity domain. Altogether, this study adds further evidence to the particular role of EEG alpha oscillations in creative cognition and supports the idea that conventional creative ideation and the comprehension of humor share neural mechanisms affiliated to creative cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | | | | | | | - Andreas Fink
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Bashwiner DM, Bacon DK, Wertz CJ, Flores RA, Chohan MO, Jung RE. Resting state functional connectivity underlying musical creativity. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116940. [PMID: 32422402 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
Abstract
While the behavior of "being musically creative"- improvising, composing, songwriting, etc.-is undoubtedly a complex and highly variable one, recent neuroscientific investigation has offered significant insight into the neural underpinnings of many of the creative processes contributing to such behavior. A previous study from our research group (Bashwiner et al., 2016), which examined two aspects of brain structure as a function of creative musical experience, found significantly increased cortical surface area or subcortical volume in regions of the default-mode network, a motor planning network, and a "limbic" network. The present study sought to determine how these regions coordinate with one another and with other regions of the brain in a large number of participants (n = 218) during a task-neutral period, i.e., during the "resting state." Deriving from the previous study's results a set of eleven regions of interest (ROIs), the present study analyzed the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) from each of these seed regions as a function of creative musical experience (assessed via our Musical Creativity Questionnaire). Of the eleven ROIs investigated, nine showed significant correlations with a total of 22 clusters throughout the brain, the most significant being located in bilateral cerebellum, right inferior frontal gyrus, midline thalamus (particularly the mediodorsal nucleus), and medial premotor regions. These results support prior reports (by ourselves and others) implicating regions of the default-mode, executive, and motor-planning networks in musical creativity, while additionally-and somewhat unanticipatedly-including a potentially much larger role for the salience network than has been previously reported in studies of musical creativity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David M Bashwiner
- University of New Mexico, Department of Music, MSC04-2570, l University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA.
| | - Donna K Bacon
- University of New Mexico, Department of Music, MSC04-2570, l University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA; Brain and Behavioral Associates, 1014 Lomas Boulevard NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87102, USA; University of New Mexico, Department of Psychology, MXC03-2220, l University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Christopher J Wertz
- Brain and Behavioral Associates, 1014 Lomas Boulevard NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87102, USA
| | - Ranee A Flores
- Brain and Behavioral Associates, 1014 Lomas Boulevard NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87102, USA
| | - Muhammad O Chohan
- University of New Mexico, Health Sciences Center SOM, Department of Neurosurgery, MSC10-5615, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| | - Rex E Jung
- Brain and Behavioral Associates, 1014 Lomas Boulevard NW, Albuquerque, NM, 87102, USA; University of New Mexico, Department of Psychology, MXC03-2220, l University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA; University of New Mexico, Department of Neurosurgery, MSC10-5615, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Faber SEM, McIntosh AR. Towards a standard model of musical improvisation. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 51:840-849. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
22
|
Zioga I, Harrison PM, Pearce MT, Bhattacharya J, Di Bernardi Luft C. From learning to creativity: Identifying the behavioural and neural correlates of learning to predict human judgements of musical creativity. Neuroimage 2020; 206:116311. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
|
23
|
Sasaki M, Iversen J, Callan DE. Music Improvisation Is Characterized by Increase EEG Spectral Power in Prefrontal and Perceptual Motor Cortical Sources and Can be Reliably Classified From Non-improvisatory Performance. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:435. [PMID: 31920594 PMCID: PMC6915035 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
This study expores neural activity underlying creative processes through the investigation of music improvisation. Fourteen guitar players with a high level of improvisation skill participated in this experiment. The experimental task involved playing 32-s alternating blocks of improvisation and scales on guitar. electroencephalography (EEG) data was measured continuously throughout the experiment. In order to remove potential artifacts and extract brain-related activity the following signal processing techniques were employed: bandpass filtering, Artifact Subspace Reconstruction, and Independent Component Analysis (ICA). For each participant, artifact related independent components (ICs) were removed from the EEG data and only ICs found to be from brain activity were retained. Source localization using this brain-related activity was carried out using sLORETA. Greater activity for improvisation over scale was found in multiple frequency bands (theta, alpha, and beta) localized primarily in the medial frontal cortex (MFC), Middle frontal gyrus (MFG), anterior cingulate, polar medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), premotor cortex (PMC), pre and postcentral gyrus (PreCG and PostCG), superior temporal gyrus (STG), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and the temporal-parietal junction. Together this collection of brain regions suggests that improvisation was mediated by processes involved in coordinating planned sequences of movement that are modulated in response to ongoing environmental context through monitoring and feedback of sensory states in relation to internal plans and goals. Machine-learning using Common Spatial Patterns (CSP) for EEG feature extraction attained a mean of over 75% classification performance for improvisation vs. scale conditions across participants. These machine-learning results are a step towards the development of a brain-computer interface that could be used for neurofeedback training to improve creativity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Sasaki
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - John Iversen
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Daniel E Callan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
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]
|
25
|
Kleinmintz OM, Ivancovsky T, Shamay-Tsoory SG. The two-fold model of creativity: the neural underpinnings of the generation and evaluation of creative ideas. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
26
|
|
27
|
Arkin C, Przysinda E, Pfeifer CW, Zeng T, Loui P. Gray Matter Correlates of Creativity in Musical Improvisation. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:169. [PMID: 31191276 PMCID: PMC6538978 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Creativity has been defined as requiring both novelty and effectiveness, but little is known about how this standard definition applies in music. Here, we present results from a pilot study in which we combine behavioral testing in musical improvisation and structural neuroimaging to relate brain structure to performance in a creative musical improvisation task. Thirty-eight subjects completed a novel improvisation continuation task and underwent T1 MRI. Recorded performances were rated by expert jazz instructors for creativity. Voxel-based morphometric analyses on T1 data showed that creativity ratings were negatively associated with gray matter volume in the right inferior temporal gyrus and bilateral hippocampus. The duration of improvisation training, which was significantly correlated with creativity ratings, was negatively associated with gray matter volume in the rolandic operculum. Together, results show that musical improvisation ability and training are associated with gray matter volume in regions that are previously linked to learning and memory formation, perceptual categorization, and sensory integration. The present study takes a first step towards understanding the neuroanatomical basis of musical creativity by relating creative musical improvisation to individual differences in gray matter structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Arkin
- Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, United States
| | - Emily Przysinda
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Charles W Pfeifer
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Tima Zeng
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Psyche Loui
- Department of Music, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience and Behavior, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, United States
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Hou Y, Chen S. Distinguishing Different Emotions Evoked by Music via Electroencephalographic Signals. COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 2019:3191903. [PMID: 30956655 PMCID: PMC6431402 DOI: 10.1155/2019/3191903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 12/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Music can evoke a variety of emotions, which may be manifested by distinct signals on the electroencephalogram (EEG). Many previous studies have examined the associations between specific aspects of music, including the subjective emotions aroused, and EEG signal features. However, no study has comprehensively examined music-related EEG features and selected those with the strongest potential for discriminating emotions. So, this paper conducted a series of experiments to identify the most influential EEG features induced by music evoking different emotions (calm, joy, sad, and angry). We extracted 27-dimensional features from each of 12 electrode positions then used correlation-based feature selection method to identify the feature set most strongly related to the original features but with lowest redundancy. Several classifiers, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), C4.5, LDA, and BPNN, were then used to test the recognition accuracy of the original and selected feature sets. Finally, results are analyzed in detail and the relationships between selected feature set and human emotions are shown clearly. Through the classification results of 10 random examinations, it could be concluded that the selected feature sets of Pz are more effective than other features when using as the key feature set to classify human emotion statues.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yimin Hou
- School of Automation Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, China
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Daikoku T. Musical Creativity and Depth of Implicit Knowledge: Spectral and Temporal Individualities in Improvisation. Front Comput Neurosci 2018; 12:89. [PMID: 30483087 PMCID: PMC6243102 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2018.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that musical creativity is mainly formed by implicit knowledge. However, the types of spectro-temporal features and depth of the implicit knowledge forming individualities of improvisation are unknown. This study, using various-order Markov models on implicit statistical learning, investigated spectro-temporal statistics among musicians. The results suggested that lower-order models on implicit knowledge represented general characteristics shared among musicians, whereas higher-order models detected specific characteristics unique to each musician. Second, individuality may essentially be formed by pitch but not rhythm, whereas the rhythms may allow the individuality of pitches to strengthen. Third, time-course variation of musical creativity formed by implicit knowledge and uncertainty (i.e., entropy) may occur in a musician's lifetime. Individuality of improvisational creativity may be formed by deeper but not superficial implicit knowledge of pitches, and that the rhythms may allow the individuality of pitches to strengthen. Individualities of the creativity may shift over a musician's lifetime via experience and training.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Daikoku
- Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Dolan D, Jensen HJ, Mediano PAM, Molina-Solana M, Rajpal H, Rosas F, Sloboda JA. The Improvisational State of Mind: A Multidisciplinary Study of an Improvisatory Approach to Classical Music Repertoire Performance. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1341. [PMID: 30319469 PMCID: PMC6167963 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent re-introduction of improvisation as a professional practice within classical music, however cautious and still rare, allows direct and detailed contemporary comparison between improvised and "standard" approaches to performances of the same composition, comparisons which hitherto could only be inferred from impressionistic historical accounts. This study takes an interdisciplinary multi-method approach to discovering the contrasting nature and effects of prepared and improvised approaches during live chamber-music concert performances of a movement from Franz Schubert's "Shepherd on the Rock," given by a professional trio consisting of voice, flute, and piano, in the presence of an invited audience of 22 adults with varying levels of musical experience and training. The improvised performances were found to differ systematically from prepared performances in their timing, dynamic, and timbral features as well as in the degree of risk-taking and "mind reading" between performers, which included moments of spontaneously exchanging extemporized notes. Post-performance critical reflection by the performers characterized distinct mental states underlying the two modes of performance. The amount of overall body movements was reduced in the improvised performances, which showed less unco-ordinated movements between performers when compared to the prepared performance. Audience members, who were told only that the two performances would be different, but not how, rated the improvised version as more emotionally compelling and musically convincing than the prepared version. The size of this effect was not affected by whether or not the audience could see the performers, or by levels of musical training. EEG measurements from 19 scalp locations showed higher levels of Lempel-Ziv complexity (associated with awareness and alertness) in the improvised version in both performers and audience. Results are discussed in terms of their potential support for an "improvisatory state of mind" which may have aspects of flow (as characterized by Csikszentmihalyi, 1997) and primary states (as characterized by the Entropic Brain Hypothesis of Carhart-Harris et al., 2014). In a group setting, such as a live concert, our evidence suggests that this state of mind is communicable between performers and audience thus contributing to a heightened quality of shared experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Dolan
- Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henrik J. Jensen
- Department of Mathematics, Centre of Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | | | - Miguel Molina-Solana
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Data Science Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hardik Rajpal
- Department of Mathematics, Centre of Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fernando Rosas
- Department of Mathematics, Centre of Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Rominger C, Papousek I, Weiss EM, Schulter G, Perchtold CM, Lackner HK, Fink A. Creative Thinking in an Emotional Context: Specific Relevance of Executive Control of Emotion-Laden Representations in the Inventiveness in Generating Alternative Appraisals of Negative Events. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2018.1488196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
32
|
The creative brain in the figural domain: Distinct patterns of EEG alpha power during idea generation and idea elaboration. Neuropsychologia 2018; 118:13-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
|
33
|
Fink A, Rominger C, Benedek M, Perchtold CM, Papousek I, Weiss EM, Seidel A, Memmert D. EEG alpha activity during imagining creative moves in soccer decision-making situations. Neuropsychologia 2018; 114:118-124. [PMID: 29702162 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.04.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated task-related changes of EEG alpha power while participants were imagining creative moves in soccer decision-making situations. After presenting brief video clips of a soccer scene, participants had to imagine themselves as the acting player and to think either of a creative/original or an obvious/conventional move (control condition) that might lead to a goal. Performance of the soccer task generally elicited comparatively strong alpha power decreases at parietal and occipital sites, indicating high visuospatial processing demands. This power decrease was less pronounced in the creative vs. control condition, reflecting a more internally oriented state of information processing characterized by more imaginative mental simulation rather than stimulus-driven bottom-up processing. In addition, more creative task performance in the soccer task was associated with stronger alpha desynchronization at left cortical sites, most prominently over motor related areas. This finding suggests that individuals who generated more creative moves were more intensively engaged in processes related to movement imagery. Unlike the domain-specific creativity measure, individual's trait creative potential, as assessed by a psychometric creativity test, was globally positively associated with alpha power at all cortical sites. In investigating creative processes implicated in complex creative behavior involving more ecologically valid demands, this study showed that thinking creatively in soccer decision-making situations recruits specific brain networks supporting processes related to visuospatial attention and movement imagery, while the relative increase in alpha power in more creative conditions and in individuals with higher creative potential might reflect a pattern relevant across different creativity domains.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Fink
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria.
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Seidel
- Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Germany
| | - Daniel Memmert
- Institute of Exercise Training and Sport Informatics, German Sport University Cologne, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Boasen J, Takeshita Y, Kuriki S, Yokosawa K. Spectral-Spatial Differentiation of Brain Activity During Mental Imagery of Improvisational Music Performance Using MEG. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:156. [PMID: 29740300 PMCID: PMC5928205 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Group musical improvisation is thought to be akin to conversation, and therapeutically has been shown to be effective at improving communicativeness, sociability, creative expression, and overall psychological health. To understand these therapeutic effects, clarifying the nature of brain activity during improvisational cognition is important. Some insight regarding brain activity during improvisational music cognition has been gained via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). However, we have found no reports based on magnetoencephalography (MEG). With the present study, we aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of improvisational music performance experimentation in MEG. We designed a novel MEG-compatible keyboard, and used it with experienced musicians (N = 13) in a music performance paradigm to spectral-spatially differentiate spontaneous brain activity during mental imagery of improvisational music performance. Analyses of source activity revealed that mental imagery of improvisational music performance induced greater theta (5–7 Hz) activity in left temporal areas associated with rhythm production and communication, greater alpha (8–12 Hz) activity in left premotor and parietal areas associated with sensorimotor integration, and less beta (15–29 Hz) activity in right frontal areas associated with inhibition control. These findings support the notion that musical improvisation is conversational, and suggest that creation of novel auditory content is facilitated by a more internally-directed, disinhibited cognitive state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jared Boasen
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Yuya Takeshita
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Shinya Kuriki
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Koichi Yokosawa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Frith E, Loprinzi PD. Experimental effects of acute exercise and music listening on cognitive creativity. Physiol Behav 2018; 191:21-28. [PMID: 29608999 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to extend previous experimental work suggesting that both exercise and music-based interventions may influence creativity processes, by investigating the independent influences of exercise or music stimuli on verbal creative performances in the laboratory environment. METHODS 32 students at the University of Mississippi participated in this within-subject intervention, which included three laboratory visits per participant. Individuals participated in three 15-min, randomized experimental conditions: Treadmill walking, self-selected music, or a seated control period, and subsequently completed four creativity assessments during each visit (three tests of divergent thinking, and one test of convergent thinking), with the order of divergent thinking tasks counterbalanced. Creativity task performance was independently scored across four dependent parameters, which included fluency (i.e., total number of ideas), flexibility (i.e., total number of categories), originality (i.e., responses thought of by <5% of the sample), and elaboration (i.e., degree of supplementary detail included per idea). RESULTS Repeated Measures ANOVAs indicated that creativity scores for fluency (F(2, 60) = 0.63, p = 0.94), flexibility (F(2, 60) = 0.64, p = 0.53), originality (F(2, 60 = 0.23, p = 0.78), and elaboration (F(2, 60) = 2.74, p = 0.07), were not statistically significant across the visits. CONCLUSIONS These findings add to the equivocal body of creativity research, uniquely assessing the effects of exercise and music on verbal creativity performance. The present study further highlights the critical need for improvement in the assessment and evaluation of laboratory-assessed cognitive creativity. Methodological strategies must be examined and refined for the meaningful and credible measurement and interpretation of experimental creativity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Frith
- Exercise Psychology Laboratory, Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
| | - Paul D Loprinzi
- Exercise Psychology Laboratory, Physical Activity Epidemiology Laboratory, Department of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, The University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA.
| |
Collapse
|