Visual Attention Modulates Insight Versus Analytic Solving of Verbal Problems

Abstract

Behavioral and neuroimaging findings indicate that distinct cognitive and neural processes underlie solving problems with sudden insight. Moreover, people with less focused attention sometimes perform better on tests of insight and creative problem solving. However, it remains unclear whether different states of attention, within individuals, influence the likelihood of solving problems with insight or with analysis. In this experiment, participants (N = 40) performed a baseline block of verbal problems, then performed one of two visual tasks, each emphasizing a distinct aspect of visual attention, followed by a second block of verbal problems to assess change in performance. After participants engaged in a center-focused flanker task requiring relatively focused visual attention, they reported solving more verbal problems with analytic processing. In contrast, after participants engaged in a rapid object identification task requiring attention to broad space and weak associations, they reported solving more verbal problems with insight. These results suggest that general attention mechanisms influence both visual attention task performance and verbal problem solving.

Solving Classical Insight Problems Without Aha! Experience: 9 Dot, 8 Coin, and Matchstick Arithmetic Problems

“…Compared to other studies using trial-wise insight ratings, the present finding is quite typical. Other studies, using CRA problems, report numbers between 50% and 60% (Kounios et al, 2008;Subramaniam et al, 2009;Sandkühler & Bhattacharya, 2008;Wegbreit, Suzuki, Grabowecky, Kounios, & Beeman, 2012). Fedor, Szathmáry, and Öllinger (2015) found for Katona's Five Square Problem (Katona, 1940) that 74% of all solvers reported an Aha!…”

Individual differences in verbal creative thinking are reflected in the precuneus

“…Most studies on creativity have indicated that creative thought is closely linked to spontaneously occurring thought processes, which is associated with lower working memory demands (Limb and Braun, 2008), defocused attention (Vartanian, 2009;Wegbreit et al, 2012), and mind wandering (Baird et al, 2012). For instance, Takeuchi et al (2012) found that high divergent thinking performance was predicted by strong resting-state functional connectivity within the DMN, including the posterior cingulate cortex adjacent to the precuneus.…”

Intuitive Tip of the Tongue Judgments Predict Subsequent Problem Solving One Day Later

“…When previously subthreshold solution related activation breaks the conscious threshold, the solution may arise suddenly producing a moment of insight, while the solver remains unable to explicitly report the processing that contributed to their solution. When people perform a visual attention task that encourages them to attend to weakly activated information, they subsequently improve the number of verbal problems they solve, especially those they report solving with insight, suggesting that the ability to attend to or utilize subthreshold activation is malleable (Wegbreit, Suzuki, Grabowecky, Kounios & Beeman, 2012).…”