Aha! under pressure: The Aha! experience is not constrained by cognitive load

Stuyck, Hans; Cleeremans, Axel; Bussche, Eva Van den

doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104946

Cited by 15 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…As an intended outcome, this cognitive stimulation generated a more focused, awake, and aware mental state [ 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 ]. Secondly, and concerning the Assessment Protocol, which aimed at mental health profiling, our neurotypical sample was later studied by four self-report measures.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Molecular Assessment of Self-Processes in Neurotypical Subjects Using a Single Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Evoking Autobiographical Memory

Martins

Simões

Barros

et al. 2022

Behavioral Sciences

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In the last 20 years, several contributions have been published on what concerns the conceptual and empirical connections between self-processes. However, only a limited number of publications addressed the viability of those processes to characterize mental health in neurotypical subjects with a normative pattern of neurodevelopment. Furthermore, even fewer experiments focused explicitly on the complexity of studying neurotypical phenomenal data. On the one hand, this normative pattern is commonly associated with mental health and a multifaceted self-concept and well-being. On the other hand, well-being is often related to a healthy cognitive life. However, how such intricate and complex relation between self-processes is established in neurotypical subjects requires further evidence. The novelty of this work is thus studying the first-person experience, which is correlated with the mental events aroused by a cognitive behavioral intervention. The prior methodology that led to the complete characterization of a neurotypical sample was already published by the authors, although the materials, the methods, the sample screening, and the sample size study required further explanation and exploration. This paper’s innovation is hence the phenomenological assessment of subjects’ self-regulation, which is used for mental health profiling, providing the basis for subsequent molecular typing. For that matter, a convenience sample of 128 (19–25-year-old) neurotypical young adults, healthy university students at the University of Lisbon, non-medicated and with no serious, uncontrolled, or chronic diseases, are characterized according to their cognitive functioning and self-concept. The procedure comprised (i) a mental status examination (psychological assessment) and (ii) a psychological intervention, i.e., a single cognitive behavioral intervention (intervention protocol). The psychological assessment was a standardized and structured clinical interview, which comprised the use of 4 psychological scales complementary to the classical Mental Status Examination (MSE). The intervention protocol applied a combined exercise of psychophysical training and autobiographical-self memory-recalling. The results permitted identifying and isolating four different subgroups (self awareness, self consciousness, reflective self, and pre-reflective self) in neurotypical subjects with discrete self-processes. The outcome of this study is screening four different aspects of self-reflection and the isolation between various forms of self-directed attention and their interconnections in these four mental health strata. The practical implication of this study is to fulfill an a priori pre-molecular assessment of self-regulation with separate cognitive characteristics. The reliability of these mental strata, their distinct neurophysiology, and discrete molecular fingerprint will be tested in a future publication by in silico characterization, total protein profiling, and simultaneous immunodetection of the neuropeptide and neuroimmune response of the same participants.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Molecular Assessment of Self-Processes in Neurotypical Subjects Using a Single Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Evoking Autobiographical Memory

Martins

Simões

Barros

et al. 2022

Behavioral Sciences

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“…A second GLMM was used with solution accuracy as a binary outcome variable (i.e., 0 = incorrect and 1 = correct; Binomial error distribution; Sommet & Morselli, 2017). The third GLMM contained solution confidence as a bounded outcome variable and was solely based on the correctly solved CRA word puzzles (i.e., .005 -.995; see Stuyck et al, 2022;Verkuilen & Smithson, 2012). A fourth and final GLM was used with the number of correctly solved CRA word puzzles as a count outcome variable (i.e., Negative Binomial error distribution; Gardner et al, 1995).…”

Section: Trait Vagally Mediated Hrvmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this GLM, data were aggregated into one count observation for insight and one count observation for non-insight per participant. To account for the non-independence in the GLM (i.e., two observations clustered in participants), we used robust standard errors (see Stuyck et al, 2022 for a similar procedure and Zeileis et al, 2020 for an in-depth explanation). In all specified models above, RMSSD was standardized across participants by rescaling it to z-scores to enhance interpretability (i.e., a meaningful intercept) and convergence of the (G)LMMs and GLM (Enders & Tofighi, 2007).…”

Section: Trait Vagally Mediated Hrvmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of these problems can be solved by relying on stored algorithms and on factual and/or procedural knowledge accumulated through life through, for instance, education (Weisberg, 2015). One of the prominent features of this analytical problem-solving strategy is that it is effortful and demands attention (Stuyck et al, 2022). It requires the problem solver to maintain a representation of the problem while applying different solution strategies and to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information (Shipstead et al, 2016;Wiley & Jarosz, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insight and non-insight problem solving: A heart rate variability study

Stuyck¹,

Demeyer²,

Bratanov³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Occasionally, a vexing problem is solved by a sudden epiphany with the Aha! as its felt component. Although insight occurs sometimes, the mundane way to solve problems is analytically (i.e., non-insight). At first glance, non-insight appears to depend on the availability and taxation of cognitive resources to execute the step-by-step approach, whereas insight does not or to a lesser extent. However, this remains debated. To address whether both solution types depend (in)differentially on cognitive resources, we assessed the involvement of the prefrontal cortex, which is closely linked to it. Following the neurovisceral integration model, we used vagally mediated heart rate variability (i.e., vmHRV) to index prefrontal resource availability (i.e., trait) and prefrontal resource taxation (i.e., state). Participants (N = 68) solved 70 compound remote associates word puzzles solvable with insight and non-insight. Before, during, and after solving the word puzzles, we measured vmHRV. Our results showed that resting-state vmHRV (i.e., trait) showed a negative association with behavioural performance for both solution types. This might reflect inter-individual differences in inhibitory control. As the solution search requires one to think of remote associations, inhibitory control might hamper rather than aid this process. Furthermore, we observed, for both solution types, a vmHRV increase from resting-state to solution search (i.e., state), lingering on in the post-task recovery period. This could mark the increase of prefrontal resources to promote an open-minded stance, essential for divergent thinking, which arguably is crucial for this task. Our study revealed that both solution types might have more in common than meets the eye.

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“…This model agrees with literature that suggests that the relationship between metacognition and SP occurs especially on complex problems that require a wide deployment of cognitive resources (i.e., non-insight problems), and not so on insight problems, in which the solution emerges spontaneously in consciousness ( Metcalfe and Wiebe, 1987 ). In this way, metacognition would play an active and continuous role in the conscious administration of the cognitive resources used during the resolution of a problem ( Stuyck et al, 2022 ). Given the importance that has recently been given to the study of metacognition and PS ( English and Gainsburg, 2015 ; Perry et al, 2018 ; Azevedo, 2020 ), and its already mentioned connection, it becomes relevant to combine both phenomena in a single study that aims to clarify their relationship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Students With High Metacognition Are Favourable Towards Individualism When Anxious

et al. 2022

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Metacognitive ability has been described as an important predictor of several processes involved in learning, including problem-solving. Although this relationship is fairly documented, little is known about the mechanisms that could modulate it. Given its relationship with both constructs, we decided to evaluate the impact of self-knowledge on PS. In addition, we inspected whether emotional (self-reported anxiety) and interpersonal (attitudes towards social interdependence) variables could affect the relationship between metacognition and problem-solving. We tested a sample of 32 undergraduate students and used behavioural tasks and self-report questionnaires. Contrary to the literature, we found no significant relationship between metacognition and problem-solving performance, nor a significant moderating effect when including emotional and interpersonal variables in the model. In contrast, we observed a significant moderating model combining metacognition, self-reported anxiety and attitudes towards social interdependence. It was found that participants with high metacognition reported attitudes unfavourable towards interdependence when they felt high anxiety. These results suggest that already anxious individuals with high metacognition would prefer to work alone rather than with others, as a coping mechanism against further anxiety derived from cooperation. We hypothesise that in anxiogenic contexts, metacognition is used as a tool to compare possible threats with one’s own skills and act accordingly, in order to maximise one’s own performance. Further studies are needed to understand how metacognition works in contexts adverse to learning.

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Aha! under pressure: The Aha! experience is not constrained by cognitive load

Cited by 15 publications

References 92 publications

Pre-Molecular Assessment of Self-Processes in Neurotypical Subjects Using a Single Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Evoking Autobiographical Memory

Pre-Molecular Assessment of Self-Processes in Neurotypical Subjects Using a Single Cognitive Behavioral Intervention Evoking Autobiographical Memory

Insight and non-insight problem solving: A heart rate variability study

Students With High Metacognition Are Favourable Towards Individualism When Anxious

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