1
|
Tulver K, Kaup KK, Laukkonen R, Aru J. Restructuring insight: An integrative review of insight in problem-solving, meditation, psychotherapy, delusions and psychedelics. Conscious Cogn 2023; 110:103494. [PMID: 36913839 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Occasionally, a solution or idea arrives as a sudden understanding - an insight. Insight has been considered an "extra" ingredient of creative thinking and problem-solving. Here we propose that insight is central in seemingly distinct areas of research. Drawing on literature from a variety of fields, we show that besides being commonly studied in problem-solving literature, insight is also a core component in psychotherapy and meditation, a key process underlying the emergence of delusions in schizophrenia, and a factor in the therapeutic effects of psychedelics. In each case, we discuss the event of insight and its prerequisites and consequences. We review evidence for the commonalities and differences between the fields and discuss their relevance for capturing the essence of the insight phenomenon. The goal of this integrative review is to bridge the gap between the different views and inspire interdisciplinary research efforts for understanding this central process of human cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kadi Tulver
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia.
| | | | | | - Jaan Aru
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Li Y, Xie C, Yang Y, Liu C, Du Y, Hu W. The role of daydreaming and creative thinking in the relationship between inattention and real-life creativity: A test of multiple mediation model. THINKING SKILLS AND CREATIVITY 2022; 46:101181. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
|
3
|
Age-Related Changes and Reorganization of Creativity and Intelligence Indices in Schoolchildren and University Students. J Intell 2022; 10:jintelligence10030052. [PMID: 35997407 PMCID: PMC9396976 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence10030052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the lasting interest towards the relationship between intelligence and creativity, comparably less attention is paid to its age-related changes. Our paper considers the organization of fluid intelligence and psychometric indicators of creativity and is based on the experimental data obtained for children aged 11 (n = 99) and for young adults (n = 77). We used two figural and verbal tasks with and without time limit. We found that the age-related differences in creativity are dependent on the context and the type of testing. The young adults were different from the children, having higher indicators of verbal and figurative creativity, except for the originality of the drawings created within the Incomplete Figures test, and having considerably higher test results for fluid intelligence. These age-related differences, together with the discovered closer relationship between the creativity indicators in the young adults group compared to the children, might suggest insufficient contribution of the components of the executive control of information selection (inhibition, shifting, and updating), which had not fully formed in eleven-year-olds. The comparison of the various indicators of creativity suggests that the most complex task for the children was the composition of an original sentence by joining nouns from various semantic categories.
Collapse
|
4
|
Velichkovsky BM, Osipov GS, Nosovets ZA, Velichkovsky BB. Personal Meaning and Solving Creative Tasks: Contemporary Neurocognitive Studies. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION PROCESSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3103/s0147688221050130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
5
|
Sun J, He L, Chen Q, Yang W, Wei D, Qiu J. The bright side and dark side of daydreaming predict creativity together through brain functional connectivity. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 43:902-914. [PMID: 34676650 PMCID: PMC8764487 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Daydreaming and creativity have similar cognitive processes and neural basis. However, few empirical studies have examined the relationship between daydreaming and creativity using cognitive neuroscience methods. The present study explored the relationship between different types of daydreaming and creativity and their common neural basis. The behavioral results revealed that positive constructive daydreaming is positively related to creativity, while poor attentional control is negatively related to it. Machine learning framework was adopted to examine the predictive effect of daydreaming-related brain functional connectivity (FC) on creativity. The results demonstrated that task FCs related to positive constructive daydreaming and task FCs related to poor attentional control both predicted an individual's creativity score successfully. In addition, task FCs combining the positive constructive daydreaming and poor attentional control also had significant predictive effect on creativity score. Furthermore, predictive analysis based on resting-state FCs showed similar patterns. Both of the subscale-related FCs and combined FCs had significant predictive effect on creativity score. Further analysis showed the task and the resting-state FCs both mainly located in the default mode network, central executive network, salience network, and attention network. These results showed that daydreaming was closely related to creativity, as they shared common FC basis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiangzhou Sun
- Center for Studies of Education and Psychology of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China of Southwest UniversityChongqingChina
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of EducationChongqingChina
- Faculty of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Li He
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of EducationChongqingChina
- Faculty of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Qunlin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of EducationChongqingChina
- Faculty of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Wenjing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of EducationChongqingChina
- Faculty of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Dongtao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of EducationChongqingChina
- Faculty of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of EducationChongqingChina
- Faculty of PsychologySouthwest UniversityChongqingChina
- Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Porzak R, Cwynar A, Cwynar W. Improving Debt Literacy by 2/3 Through Four Simple Infographics Requires Numeracy and Not Focusing on Negatives of Debt. Front Psychol 2021; 12:621312. [PMID: 33841252 PMCID: PMC8032938 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.621312] [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: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Borrowing behavior may be more resistant to formal educational treatments than other financial behaviors. In order to study the process and results of infographics-based debt education, we used eye tracking technology (SMI RED 500 Hz) to monitor the oculomotor behavior of 108 participants (68 females) aged 18 to 60 who were shown 4 infographics. The study used an experimental design with repeated measures and an internal comparison group. We also used scales of debt literacy and a set of information literacy scales: numerical, graph, and linguistic. The results confirm that short-term infographics-based debt education can improve debt literacy significantly. The difference in processing the educational contents that were not known to participants before the educational session suggests that participants with better information literacy make more considerable debt literacy progress. Specifically, we found that numerical literacy is a significant mediator of debt education results, depending on the initial level of debt literacy; this relation is moderated by the focus of visual attention on negatives of debt. We found no significant relationship between debt literacy education results and those of graph and linguistic literacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Porzak
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Economics and Innovation, Lublin, Poland
| | - Andrzej Cwynar
- Institute of Public Administration and Business, University of Economics and Innovation, Lublin, Poland
| | - Wiktor Cwynar
- Institute of Public Administration and Business, University of Economics and Innovation, Lublin, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Salvi C, Bowden E. The relation between state and trait risk taking and problem-solving. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 84:1235-1248. [PMID: 30756178 PMCID: PMC6690799 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01152-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
People can solve problems in two main styles: through a methodical analysis, or by a sudden insight (also known as 'Aha!' or 'Eureka!' experience). Analytical solutions are achieved primarily with conscious deliberation in a trial-and-error fashion. 'Aha!' moments, instead, happen suddenly, often without conscious deliberation and are considered a critical facet of creative cognition. Previous research has indicated an association between creativity and risk taking (a personality trait); however, few studies have investigated how a short-term situational state of risk modulates these two different problem-solving styles. In this research, we looked at how both state and trait risks taking is related to different problem-solving styles. To measure risk as a personality trait, we administered the Balloon Analog Risk Task. To investigate risk as a state, we created a scenario, where people had to bet on their problem-solving performance at the beginning of each trial, and we compared the performance of this group with a control group that did not have to bet. The results show no association between risk as a trait and problem-solving style; however, the risk state scenario did produce a shift in dominant problem-solving style with participants in the risk scenario group solving more problems via analysis. We also found that two factors are related to problem-solving accuracy: the amount bet (i.e., when people place higher bets, they solve more problems), and success on the previous trial, especially if the solution was achieved via analysis. Furthermore, the data reveal that when under risk, females are better problem solvers than males.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carola Salvi
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Edward Bowden
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Bilalić M, Graf M, Vaci N, Danek AH. When the Solution Is on the Doorstep: Better Solving Performance, but Diminished Aha! Experience for Chess Experts on the Mutilated Checkerboard Problem. Cogn Sci 2019; 43:e12771. [PMID: 31446653 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Insight problems are difficult because the initially activated knowledge hinders successful solving. The crucial information needed for a solution is often so far removed that gaining access to it through restructuring leads to the subjective experience of "Aha!". Although this assumption is shared by most insight theories, there is little empirical evidence for the connection between the necessity of restructuring an incorrect problem representation and the Aha! experience. Here, we demonstrate a rare case where previous knowledge facilitates the solving of insight problems but reduces the accompanying Aha! experience. Chess players were more successful than non-chess players at solving the mutilated checkerboard insight problem, which requires retrieval of chess-related information about the color of the squares. Their success came at a price, since they reported a diminished Aha! experience compared to controls. Chess players' problem-solving ability was confined to that particular problem, since they struggled to a similar degree to non-chess players to solve another insight problem (the eight-coin problem), which does not require chess-related information for a solution. Here, chess players and non-chess players experienced the same degree of insight.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Merim Bilalić
- Department of Psychology, University of Northumbria at Newcastle
| | - Mario Graf
- Institute of Psychology, University of Klagenfurt
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zabelina DL, Hechtman LA, Saporta A, Grunewald K, Beeman M. Brain activity sensitive to visual congruency effects relates to divergent thinking. Brain Cogn 2019; 135:103587. [PMID: 31326763 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2019.103587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present study used functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) to examine the role of focused attention in divergent thinking and real-life creativity. Participants completed a Navon task, on which the stimuli consisted of a large letter made up of the smaller version of the same (congruent), or a different (incongruent) letter. Participants were cued to identify a letter at either the local or at the global level. A smaller congruency effect - how much faster people responded on the congruent than on the incongruent trials - was an index of focused attention. Overall, larger behavioral congruency effect was accompanied with increased activation in the anterior superior temporal gyrus (aSTG), and with increased activation in the left precuneus. Individual differences in divergent thinking, however, were associated with smaller behavioral congruency effect, as well as with smaller right aSTG increase on the incongruent versus congruent targets, suggesting that people with better performance on the divergent thinking tests have more focused attention. Real-world creativity was not associated with the congruency effect, or with any of the regions implicated in the congruency effect. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darya L Zabelina
- University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science, 480 Campus Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72701, United States.
| | - Lisa A Hechtman
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Arielle Saporta
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Kristin Grunewald
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Mark Beeman
- Northwestern University, Department of Psychology, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Once more with feeling: Normative data for the aha experience in insight and noninsight problems. Behav Res Methods 2019; 50:2035-2056. [PMID: 29052169 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-017-0972-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Despite the presumed ability of insight problems to elicit the subjective feeling of insight, as well as the use of so-called insight problems to investigate this phenomenon for over 100 years, no research has collected normative data regarding the ability of insight problems to actually elicit the feeling of insight in a given individual. The work described in this article provides an overview of both classic and contemporary problems used to examine the construct of insight and presents normative data on the success rate, mean time to solution, and mean rating of aha experience for each problem and task type. We suggest using these data in future work as a reference for selecting problems on the basis of their ability to elicit an aha experience.
Collapse
|
11
|
Cristofori I, Salvi C, Beeman M, Grafman J. The effects of expected reward on creative problem solving. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:925-931. [PMID: 29949113 PMCID: PMC6330050 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0613-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Creative problem solving involves search processes, and it is known to be hard to motivate. Reward cues have been found to enhance performance across a range of tasks, even when cues are presented subliminally, without being consciously detected. It is uncertain whether motivational processes, such as reward, can influence problem solving. We tested the effect of supraliminal and subliminal reward on participant performance on problem solving that can be solved by deliberate analysis or by insight. Forty-one participants attempted to solve 100 compound remote associate problems. At the beginning of each problem, a potential reward cue (1 or 25 cents) was displayed, either subliminally (17 ms) or supraliminally (100 ms). Participants earned the displayed reward if they solved the problem correctly. Results showed that the higher subliminal reward increased the percentage of problems solved correctly overall. Second, we explored if subliminal rewards preferentially influenced solutions that were achieved via a sudden insight (mostly processed below awareness) or via a deliberate analysis. Participants solved more problems via insight following high subliminal reward when compared with low subliminal reward, and compared with high supraliminal reward, with no corresponding effect on analytic solving. Striatal dopamine (DA) is thought to influence motivation, reinforce behavior, and facilitate cognition. We speculate that subliminal rewards activate the striatal DA system, enhancing the kinds of automatic integrative processes that lead to more creative strategies for problem solving, without increasing the selectivity of attention, which could impede insight.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Cristofori
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, 355 East Erie Street, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Carola Salvi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, 355 East Erie Street, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mark Beeman
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, 355 East Erie Street, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Liu S, Peng M. Does Scope of Attention Affect Creativity? Testing the Attentional Priming Hypothesis. JOURNAL OF CREATIVE BEHAVIOR 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jocb.378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sisi Liu
- The Education University of Hong Kong
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Bartley JE, Boeving ER, Riedel MC, Bottenhorn KL, Salo T, Eickhoff SB, Brewe E, Sutherland MT, Laird AR. Meta-analytic evidence for a core problem solving network across multiple representational domains. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 92:318-337. [PMID: 29944961 PMCID: PMC6425494 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Problem solving is a complex skill engaging multi-stepped reasoning processes to find unknown solutions. The breadth of real-world contexts requiring problem solving is mirrored by a similarly broad, yet unfocused neuroimaging literature, and the domain-general or context-specific brain networks associated with problem solving are not well understood. To more fully characterize those brain networks, we performed activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis on 280 neuroimaging problem solving experiments reporting 3166 foci from 1919 individuals across 131 papers. The general map of problem solving revealed broad fronto-cingulo-parietal convergence, regions similarly identified when considering separate mathematical, verbal, and visuospatial problem solving domain-specific analyses. Conjunction analysis revealed a common network supporting problem solving across diverse contexts, and difference maps distinguished functionally-selective sub-networks specific to task type. Our results suggest cooperation between representationally specialized sub-network and whole-brain systems provide a neural basis for problem solving, with the core network contributing general purpose resources to perform cognitive operations and manage problem demand. Further characterization of cross-network dynamics could inform neuroeducational studies on problem solving skill development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica E Bartley
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Emily R Boeving
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Michael C Riedel
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Taylor Salo
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behavior (INM-7), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Eric Brewe
- Department of Teaching and Learning, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Education, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Angela R Laird
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
Real world problem-solving (RWPS) is what we do every day. It requires flexibility, resilience, resourcefulness, and a certain degree of creativity. A crucial feature of RWPS is that it involves continuous interaction with the environment during the problem-solving process. In this process, the environment can be seen as not only a source of inspiration for new ideas but also as a tool to facilitate creative thinking. The cognitive neuroscience literature in creativity and problem-solving is extensive, but it has largely focused on neural networks that are active when subjects are not focused on the outside world, i.e., not using their environment. In this paper, I attempt to combine the relevant literature on creativity and problem-solving with the scattered and nascent work in perceptually-driven learning from the environment. I present my synthesis as a potential new theory for real world problem-solving and map out its hypothesized neural basis. I outline some testable predictions made by the model and provide some considerations and ideas for experimental paradigms that could be used to evaluate the model more thoroughly.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vasanth Sarathy
- Human-Robot Interaction Laboratory, Department of Computer Science, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Sulik J. Cognitive mechanisms for inferring the meaning of novel signals during symbolisation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0189540. [PMID: 29337998 PMCID: PMC5770015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
As participants repeatedly interact using graphical signals (as in a game of Pictionary), the signals gradually shift from being iconic (or motivated) to being symbolic (or arbitrary). The aim here is to test experimentally whether this change in the form of the signal implies a concomitant shift in the inferential mechanisms needed to understand it. The results show that, during early, iconic stages, there is more reliance on creative inferential processes associated with insight problem solving, and that the recruitment of these cognitive mechanisms decreases over time. The variation in inferential mechanism is not predicted by the sign’s visual complexity or iconicity, but by its familiarity, and by the complexity of the relevant mental representations. The discussion explores implications for pragmatics, language evolution, and iconicity research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Justin Sulik
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Sprugnoli G, Rossi S, Emmendorfer A, Rossi A, Liew SL, Tatti E, di Lorenzo G, Pascual-Leone A, Santarnecchi E. Neural correlates of Eureka moment. INTELLIGENCE 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
17
|
Flexible or leaky attention in creative people? Distinct patterns of attention for different types of creative thinking. Mem Cognit 2017; 44:488-98. [PMID: 26527210 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-015-0569-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Creativity has been putatively linked to distinct forms of attention, but which aspects of creativity and which components of attention remains unclear. Two experiments examined how divergent thinking and creative achievement relate to visual attention. In both experiments, participants identified target letters (S or H) within hierarchical stimuli (global letters made of local letters), after being cued to either the local or global level. In Experiment 1, participants identified the targets more quickly following valid cues (80% of trials) than following invalid cues. However, this smaller validity effect was associated with higher divergent thinking, suggesting that divergent thinking was related to quicker overcoming of invalid cues, and thus to flexible attention. Creative achievement was unrelated to the validity effect. Experiment 2 examined whether divergent thinking (or creative achievement) is related to "leaky attention," so that when cued to one level of a stimulus, some information is still processed, or leaks in, from the non-cued level. In this case, the cued stimulus level always contained a target, and the non-cued level was congruent, neutral, or incongruent with the target. Divergent thinking did not relate to stimulus congruency. In contrast, high creative achievement was related to quicker responses to the congruent than to the incongruent stimuli, suggesting that real-world creative achievement is indeed associated with leaky attention, whereas standard laboratory tests of divergent thinking are not. Together, these results elucidate distinct patterns of attention for different measures of creativity. Specifically, creative achievers may have leaky attention, as suggested by previous literature, whereas divergent thinkers have selective yet flexible attention.
Collapse
|
18
|
Danek AH, Wiley J. What about False Insights? Deconstructing the Aha! Experience along Its Multiple Dimensions for Correct and Incorrect Solutions Separately. Front Psychol 2017; 7:2077. [PMID: 28163687 PMCID: PMC5247466 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.02077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2016] [Accepted: 12/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The subjective Aha! experience that problem solvers often report when they find a solution has been taken as a marker for insight. If Aha! is closely linked to insightful solution processes, then theoretically, an Aha! should only be experienced when the correct solution is found. However, little work has explored whether the Aha! experience can also accompany incorrect solutions ("false insights"). Similarly, although the Aha! experience is not a unitary construct, little work has explored the different dimensions that have been proposed as its constituents. To address these gaps in the literature, 70 participants were presented with a set of difficult problems (37 magic tricks), and rated each of their solutions for Aha! as well as with regard to Suddenness in the emergence of the solution, Certainty of being correct, Surprise, Pleasure, Relief, and Drive. Solution times were also used as predictors for the Aha! EXPERIENCE This study reports three main findings: First, false insights exist. Second, the Aha! experience is multidimensional and consists of the key components Pleasure, Suddenness and Certainty. Third, although Aha! experiences for correct and incorrect solutions share these three common dimensions, they are also experienced differently with regard to magnitude and quality, with correct solutions emerging faster, leading to stronger Aha! experiences, and higher ratings of Pleasure, Suddenness, and Certainty. Solution correctness proffered a slightly different emotional coloring to the Aha! experience, with the additional perception of Relief for correct solutions, and Surprise for incorrect ones. These results cast some doubt on the assumption that the occurrence of an Aha! experience can serve as a definitive signal that a true insight has taken place. On the other hand, the quantitative and qualitative differences in the experience of correct and incorrect solutions demonstrate that the Aha! experience is not a mere epiphenomenon. Strong Aha! experiences are clearly, but not exclusively linked to correct solutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amory H Danek
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jennifer Wiley
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Webb ME, Little DR, Cropper SJ. Insight Is Not in the Problem: Investigating Insight in Problem Solving across Task Types. Front Psychol 2016; 7:1424. [PMID: 27725805 PMCID: PMC5035735 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The feeling of insight in problem solving is typically associated with the sudden realization of a solution that appears obviously correct (Kounios et al., 2006). Salvi et al. (2016) found that a solution accompanied with sudden insight is more likely to be correct than a problem solved through conscious and incremental steps. However, Metcalfe (1986) indicated that participants would often present an inelegant but plausible (wrong) answer as correct with a high feeling of warmth (a subjective measure of closeness to solution). This discrepancy may be due to the use of different tasks or due to different methods in the measurement of insight (i.e., using a binary vs. continuous scale). In three experiments, we investigated both findings, using many different problem tasks (e.g., Compound Remote Associates, so-called classic insight problems, and non-insight problems). Participants rated insight-related affect (feelings of Aha-experience, confidence, surprise, impasse, and pleasure) on continuous scales. As expected we found that, for problems designed to elicit insight, correct solutions elicited higher proportions of reported insight in the solution compared to non-insight solutions; further, correct solutions elicited stronger feelings of insight compared to incorrect solutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E Webb
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Daniel R Little
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Simon J Cropper
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Zedelius CM, Schooler JW. The Richness of Inner Experience: Relating Styles of Daydreaming to Creative Processes. Front Psychol 2016; 6:2063. [PMID: 26869943 PMCID: PMC4735674 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychologists have long hypothesized that daydreaming (i.e., engaging in stimulus-independent, task-unrelated thoughts and images) may facilitate creativity, but evidence for this hypothesis has been mixed. We propose that, to fully understand the relationship between daydreaming and creativity, it is essential to distinguish between different creative processes as well as between alternative styles of daydreaming. A prominent distinction in creativity research is that between analytic problem solving, which involves incremental and largely conscious processes, and insight, which is characterized by the spontaneity with which an idea springs to mind. In this aspect, insight resembles daydreaming. Indeed, recent evidence has linked daydreaming to creative performance. But like creativity, daydreaming is a multifaceted concept. Daydreams vary in style and content, a fact that is receiving little attention in contemporary research. Not all kinds of daydreaming are likely to have the same effects on creativity. We discuss different factors prevalent in people's daydreaming, such as mood, attentional focus, and intentionality, and consider how these factors may be related to creative processes. We further discuss implications for ways to enhance creativity through deliberate daydreaming practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Zedelius
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa BarbaraCA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Zabelina DL, Colzato L, Beeman M, Hommel B. Dopamine and the Creative Mind: Individual Differences in Creativity Are Predicted by Interactions between Dopamine Genes DAT and COMT. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146768. [PMID: 26783754 PMCID: PMC4718590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The dopaminergic (DA) system may be involved in creativity, however results of past studies are mixed. We attempted to clarify this putative relation by considering the mediofrontal and the nigrostriatal DA pathways, uniquely and in combination, and their contribution to two different measures of creativity–an abbreviated version of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, assessing divergent thinking, and a real-world creative achievement index. We found that creativity can be predicted from interactions between genetic polymorphisms related to frontal (COMT) and striatal (DAT) DA pathways. Importantly, the Torrance test and the real-world creative achievement index related to different genetic patterns, suggesting that these two measures tap into different aspects of creativity, and depend on distinct, but interacting, DA sub-systems. Specifically, we report that successful performance on the Torrance test is linked with dopaminergic polymorphisms associated with good cognitive flexibility and medium top-down control, or with weak cognitive flexibility and strong top-down control. The latter is particularly true for the originality factor of divergent thinking. High real-world creative achievement, on the other hand, as assessed by the Creative Achievement Questionnaire, is linked with dopaminergic polymorphisms associated with weak cognitive flexibility and weak top-down control. Taken altogether, our findings support the idea that human creativity relies on dopamine, and on the interaction between frontal and striatal dopaminergic pathways in particular. This interaction may help clarify some apparent inconsistencies in the prior literature, especially if the genes and/or creativity measures were analyzed separately.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darya L. Zabelina
- Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Lorenza Colzato
- Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Mark Beeman
- Psychology Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Leiden University, Institute for Psychological Research & Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Colombo B, Bartesaghi N, Simonelli L, Antonietti A. The combined effects of neurostimulation and priming on creative thinking. A preliminary tDCS study on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9:403. [PMID: 26236219 PMCID: PMC4505103 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in influencing creative thinking has been investigated by many researchers who, while succeeding in proving an effective involvement of PFC, reported suggestive but sometimes conflicting results. In order to better understand the relationships between creative thinking and brain activation in a more specific area of the PFC, we explored the role of dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC). We devised an experimental protocol using transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). The study was based on a 3 (kind of stimulation: anodal vs. cathodal vs. sham) × 2 (priming: divergent vs. convergent) design. Forty-five healthy adults were randomly assigned to one stimulation condition. Participants' creativity skills were assessed using the Product Improvement subtest from the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT). After 20 min of tDCS stimulation, participants were presented with visual images of common objects. Half of the participants were instructed to visualize themselves using the object in an unusual way (divergent priming), whereas the other half were asked to visualize themselves while using the object in a common way (convergent priming). Priming was aimed at inducing participants to adopt different attitudes toward the creative task. Afterwards, participants were asked to describe all of the possible uses of the objects that were presented. Participants' physiological activation was recorded using a biofeedback equipment. Results showed a significant effect of anodal stimulation that enhanced creative performance, but only after divergent priming. Participants showed lower skin temperature values after cathodal stimulation, a finding which is coherent with studies reporting that, when a task is not creative or creative thinking is not prompted, people show lower levels of arousal. Differences in individual levels of creativity as assessed by the Product Improvement test were not influential. The involvement of DLPFC in creativity has been supported, presumably in association to shift of attention modulated by priming.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Colombo
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred HeartMilano, Italy
- Division of Education and Human Studies, Champlain CollegeBurlington, VT, USA
| | - Noemi Bartesaghi
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred HeartMilano, Italy
| | - Luisa Simonelli
- Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred HeartMilano, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
|
24
|
Zedelius CM, Schooler JW. Mind wandering "Ahas" versus mindful reasoning: alternative routes to creative solutions. Front Psychol 2015; 6:834. [PMID: 26136715 PMCID: PMC4469818 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on mixed results linking both mindfulness and its opposing construct mind wandering to enhanced creativity, we predicted that the relationship between mindfulness and creativity might depend on whether creative problems are approached through analytic strategy or through "insight" (i.e., sudden awareness of a solution). Study 1 investigated the relationship between trait mindfulness and compound remote associates problem solving as a function of participants' self-reported approach to each problem. The results revealed a negative relationship between mindfulness and problem-solving overall. However, more detailed analysis revealed that mindfulness was associated with impaired problem solving when approaching problems with insight, but increased problem solving when using analysis. In Study 2, we manipulated participants' problem-solving approach through instructions. We again found a negative relationship between mindfulness and creative performance in general, however, more mindful participants again performed better when instructed to approach problems analytically.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claire M. Zedelius
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa BarbaraCA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Zabelina DL, O'Leary D, Pornpattananangkul N, Nusslock R, Beeman M. Creativity and sensory gating indexed by the P50: selective versus leaky sensory gating in divergent thinkers and creative achievers. Neuropsychologia 2015; 69:77-84. [PMID: 25623426 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 01/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Creativity has previously been linked with atypical attention, but it is not clear what aspects of attention, or what types of creativity are associated. Here we investigated specific neural markers of a very early form of attention, namely sensory gating, indexed by the P50 ERP, and how it relates to two measures of creativity: divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement. Data from 84 participants revealed that divergent thinking (assessed with the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking) was associated with selective sensory gating, whereas real-world creative achievement was associated with "leaky" sensory gating, both in zero-order correlations and when controlling for academic test scores in a regression. Thus both creativity measures related to sensory gating, but in opposite directions. Additionally, divergent thinking and real-world creative achievement did not interact in predicting P50 sensory gating, suggesting that these two creativity measures orthogonally relate to P50 sensory gating. Finally, the ERP effect was specific to the P50 - neither divergent thinking nor creative achievement were related to later components, such as the N100 and P200. Overall results suggest that leaky sensory gating may help people integrate ideas that are outside of focus of attention, leading to creativity in the real world; whereas divergent thinking, measured by divergent thinking tests which emphasize numerous responses within a limited time, may require selective sensory processing more than previously thought.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darya L Zabelina
- Northwestern University, 104 Cresap Hall, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
| | - Daniel O'Leary
- Northwestern University, 104 Cresap Hall, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | | | - Robin Nusslock
- Northwestern University, 104 Cresap Hall, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Mark Beeman
- Northwestern University, 104 Cresap Hall, 2029 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Zabelina DL, Condon D, Beeman M. Do dimensional psychopathology measures relate to creative achievement or divergent thinking? Front Psychol 2014; 5:1029. [PMID: 25278919 PMCID: PMC4166997 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research provides disparate accounts of the putative association between creativity and psychopathology, including schizotypy, psychoticism, hypomania, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders. To examine these association, healthy, non-clinical participants completed several psychopathology-spectrum measures, often postulated to associate with creativity: the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, the Psychoticism scale, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, the Hypomanic Personality Scale, the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. The goal of Study 1 was to evaluate the factor structure of these dimensional psychopathology measures and, in particular, to evaluate the case for a strong general factor(s). None of the factor solutions between 1 and 10 factors provided a strong fit with the data based on the most commonly used metrics. The goal of Study 2 was to determine whether these psychopathology scales predict, independently, two measures of creativity: 1. a measure of participants' real-world creative achievements, and 2. divergent thinking, a laboratory measure of creative cognition. After controlling for academic achievement, psychoticism and hypomania reliably predicted real-world creative achievement and divergent thinking scored with the consensual assessment technique. None of the psychopathology-spectrum scales reliably predicted divergent thinking scored with the manual scoring method. Implications for the potential links between several putative creative processes and risk factors for psychopathology are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Darya L Zabelina
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA
| | - David Condon
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Mark Beeman
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University Evanston, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Affiliation(s)
- Ezra Wegbreit
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Steven Franconeri
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Mark Beeman
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|