Spontaneous and Controlled Processes in Creative Cognition

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Benedek ◽  
Emanuel Jauk
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Creative Thought ◽  
Controlled Processes ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Spontaneous Thought

Creative cognition has long been hypothesized to rely on spontaneous as well as controlled cognitive processes. This chapter starts by giving a brief overview of pertinent dual process models of creative thought. It then reviews empirical research supporting the relevance of controlled and spontaneous processes in creative cognition (mostly defined by divergent thinking and insight problem solving). The relevance of controlled processes is mainly supported by verbal protocol studies and individual differences research on executive functions and intelligence. The relevance of spontaneous processes is mainly supported by research on incubation and neuroscientific investigations. The chapter concludes by considering potential ways of interaction between goal-directed, controlled thought and undirected, spontaneous thought, both from the short-term perspective of immediate creative problem solving as well as from the long-term perspective of extended creative work.

Transformative Self-Regulation and the Quiet Ego

2021 ◽  
pp. 263-285
Author(s):  
Jack Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Life Stories ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Dual Processes ◽  
Quiet Ego ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Over Time

This chapter examines how the transformative self facilitates long-term self-regulation. Most research on self-regulation targets the immediate moment (referred to here as micro self-regulation) or personal events that last weeks or months (meso self-regulation). In contrast, the transformative self functions as a tool for macro self-regulation in one’s attempt to shape one’s life over time (for which evolving life stories are especially well suited). Hedonic, transformative self-regulation comes in the forms of realistic optimism, self-improvement motivation, cybernetic feedback motives, intentional self-development, and the flexible pursuit of goals. Eudaimonic, transformative self-regulation is especially helpful for adaptation to life’s difficulties and is found in dual-process models of adaptation to loss and potential trauma. These dual processes aim to regulate and balance both affect and meaning-making. The quiet ego represents a synthesis of these forms of self-regulation, balancing detached awareness (e.g., mindfulness), inclusive identity (e.g., interdependence, compassion), perspective-taking (e.g., value perspectivity), and growth-mindedness.

scholarly journals An Experimental Comparison of Approaches to Training Insight

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-181
Author(s):  
James N. MacGregor ◽  
John Barton Cunningham ◽  
Jennifer Walinga
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Experimental Comparison ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Placebo Control ◽  
Fluency Training ◽  
Insight Problem ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Flexibility Training

AbstractThe purpose of the research was to investigate different types of training in insight problem solving. In doing so, we reviewed the literature on experimental tests of procedures for training insight problem solving. The results revealed that most procedures focused either on restructuring or divergent thinking, and provided some evidence for the effectiveness of both approaches. However, we found no studies that compared the effects of the two approaches. The article reports two experiments that compared different training procedures based on restructuring and divergent thinking. For the latter, the methods focused separately on fluency, flexibility and originality training. The first experiment compared a restructuring approach with fluency training and a placebo control condition. The results indicated that the restructuring training was significantly more effective than the others, but only when instructions were verbal, not in script form. The second experiment compared restructuring training with flexibility, fluency and originality training, all presented in script form, and the results indicated that the restructuring training was significantly more effective than both fluency training and flexibility training. Implications for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Sharing the same languages helps us work better together

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Quin Yow ◽  
Tony Zhao Ming Lim
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Collaborative Problem Solving ◽  
Pair Type ◽  
Insight Problem ◽  
Collaborative Problem ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Problem Solving Task

AbstractCollaborative problem-solving, the mutual engagement of people in a coordinated effort to solve a problem together, plays a critical role in the increasingly complex, linguistically diverse, and interconnected world. In particular, being able to communicate in the same languages provides a critical platform for facilitating problem solving among members of a multilingual team. Little research has explored whether sharing the same spoken languages would boost collaborative problem-solving over and beyond the effects of possible confounding variables such as language proficiency, personality, ethnicity, nationality, and non-verbal intelligence. This study manipulated the sharing of same languages by pairing 118 English-speaking bilingual participants either with someone who shares the same two spoken languages as themselves (English-same pair) or with someone who differs in one language (English-different pair). We explored whether such sharing of the same languages enhances collaborative problem-solving in multilingual pairs. Participants completed the Raven’s Matrices individually, as well as an insight problem-solving task (Triangle of Coins task) and a divergent thinking task (Mind-mapping) in pairs. English-same pairs performed better than English-different pairs in the insight problem-solving task but not in the divergent thinking task. English-different pairs collaborated (mean number of turns per minute) and communicated (mean number of utterances) more than English-same pairs in the divergent thinking task, although the effect of pair type on communication was fully mediated by a difference in ethnicity within pairs. More collaboration could have been needed between English-different pairs in the divergent thinking task to achieve comparable performance as English-same pairs, possibly due to the different communication processes experienced by English-different pairs. This study provides insights to the role of sharing spoken languages in enhancing collaborative problem-solving in small multilingual groups.

Using Theory-Based Research in Supporting Creative Learning Environment for Young Children

2016 ◽  
pp. 589-603
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Muhammad ◽  
Gloysis Mayers ◽  
Deborah G. Wooldridge
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Child Development Center ◽  
Supportive Learning Environment

A supportive creative environment for young children is viewed as an essential element toward facilitating their creative thinking. Creativity requires imagination, insight, problem solving, divergent thinking, the ability to express emotions and to be able to make choices, thus we created a supportive learning environment to nurture creativity in three to four year olds. In this chapter creativity theory is discussed and how to apply to the early childhood educational setting. The Reggio Approach and creativity-provoking methods are discussed. Application of the theory relates to how children are immersed into activities encourages problem-solving, exploration, creativity and the learning supported by play based experiences for children. Examples are given as to how one child development center has provided curriculum, arranged the indoor and outdoor spaces, and integrated the artist in residence concept into the setting.

Using Theory-Based Research in Supporting Creative Learning Environment for Young Children

2019 ◽  
pp. 295-311
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Muhammad ◽  
Gloysis Mayers ◽  
Deborah G. Wooldridge
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Child Development Center ◽  
Supportive Learning Environment

A supportive creative environment for young children is viewed as an essential element toward facilitating their creative thinking. Creativity requires imagination, insight, problem solving, divergent thinking, the ability to express emotions and to be able to make choices, thus we created a supportive learning environment to nurture creativity in three to four year olds. In this chapter creativity theory is discussed and how to apply to the early childhood educational setting. The Reggio Approach and creativity-provoking methods are discussed. Application of the theory relates to how children are immersed into activities encourages problem-solving, exploration, creativity and the learning supported by play based experiences for children. Examples are given as to how one child development center has provided curriculum, arranged the indoor and outdoor spaces, and integrated the artist in residence concept into the setting.

A cognitive neuroscience perspective on insight as a memory process: encoding the solution

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin M. Kizilirmak ◽  
Maxi Becker
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Cognitive Neuroscience ◽  
Memory Formation ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Memory Process ◽  
Insight Problem ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Insight Problem Solving

This is one of two chapters on "A cognitive neuroscience perspective on insight as a memory process" to be published in the "Routledge International Handbook of Creative Cognition" by L. J. Ball & F. Valleé-Tourangeau (Eds.). While the previous chapter discussed the role of long-term memory for solving problems by insight [https://psyarxiv.com/zv4dk], the current chapter focuses on the role of insight problem solving for long-term memory formation. Insight in problem solving has long been assumed to facilitate memory formation for the problem and its solution. Here, we discuss cognitive, affective, and neurocognitive candidate mechanisms that may underlie learning in insight problem solving. We conclude that insight appears to combine several beneficial effects that each on their own have been found to facilitate long-term memory formation: the generation effect, subjective importance of the discovery of the solution, intrinsic reward, schema congruence, and level-of-processing. A distributed set of brain regions is identified that is associated with these processes. On the one hand, the more affective response related to pleasure, surprise, and novelty detection is linked to amygdala, ventral striatum, and dopaminergic midbrain activity, supporting an important role of reward learning. On the other hand, insight as completing a schema is associated with prior knowledge dependent and medial prefrontal cortex mediated memory formation. Thus, learning by insight may reflect a fast route to cortical memory representations. However, many open questions remain, which we explicitly point out during this review.

scholarly journals Embodied Metaphors and Creative “Acts”

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 502-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela K.-y. Leung ◽  
Suntae Kim ◽  
Evan Polman ◽  
Lay See Ong ◽  
Lin Qiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Embodied Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
The Other ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Bodily Experiences ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Creative Problem ◽  
Prescriptive Advice

Creativity is a highly sought-after skill. Prescriptive advice for inspiring creativity abounds in the form of metaphors: People are encouraged to “think outside the box,” to consider a problem “on one hand, then on the other hand,” and to “put two and two together” to achieve creative breakthroughs. These metaphors suggest a connection between concrete bodily experiences and creative cognition. Inspired by recent advances in the understanding of body-mind linkages in the research on embodied cognition, we explored whether enacting metaphors for creativity enhances creative problem solving. Our findings from five studies revealed that both physical and psychological embodiment of metaphors for creativity promoted convergent thinking and divergent thinking (i.e., fluency, flexibility, or originality) in problem solving. Going beyond prior research, which focused primarily on the kind of embodiment that primes preexisting knowledge, we provide the first evidence that embodiment can also activate cognitive processes that facilitate the generation of new ideas and connections.

In Search of Somatic Precursors of Spontaneous Insight

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wangbing Shen ◽  
Yuan Yuan ◽  
Chaoying Tang ◽  
Chunhua Shi ◽  
Chang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Cardiovascular Responses ◽  
Solution Time ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Insight Problem ◽  
Creative Insight ◽  
Insight Problem Solving ◽  
Analytic Problem

Abstract. A considerable number of behavioral and neuroscientific studies on insight problem solving have revealed behavioral and neural correlates of the dynamic insight process; however, somatic correlates, particularly somatic precursors of creative insight, remain undetermined. To characterize the somatic precursor of spontaneous insight, 22 healthy volunteers were recruited to solve the compound remote associate (CRA) task in which a problem can be solved by either an insight or an analytic strategy. The participants’ peripheral nervous activities, particularly electrodermal and cardiovascular responses, were continuously monitored and separately measured. The results revealed a greater skin conductance magnitude for insight trials than for non-insight trials in the 4-s time span prior to problem solutions and two marginally significant correlations between pre-solution heart rate variability (HRV) and the solution time of insight trials. Our findings provide the first direct evidence that spontaneous insight in problem solving is a somatically peculiar process that is distinct from the stepwise process of analytic problem solving and can be represented by a special somatic precursor, which is a stronger pre-solution electrodermal activity and a correlation between problem solution time and certain HRV indicators such as the root mean square successive difference (RMSSD).

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