Journal article
Visual Attention Modulates Insight Versus Analytic Solving of Verbal Problems
The journal of problem solving, v 4(2)
01 Mar 2012
PMID: 24459538
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
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.
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Details
- Title
- Visual Attention Modulates Insight Versus Analytic Solving of Verbal Problems
- Creators
- Ezra Wegbreit - University of Illinois at ChicagoSatoru Suzuki - Northwestern UniversityMarcia Grabowecky - Northwestern UniversityJohn Kounios - Drexel UniversityMark Beeman - Northwestern University
- Publication Details
- The journal of problem solving, v 4(2)
- Publisher
- Purdue Univ Press
- Number of pages
- 22
- Grant note
- R01EY021184 / NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Eye Institute (NEI) 24467 / John Templeton Foundation
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000214062400005
- Other Identifier
- 991019169538904721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Education & Educational Research