Spontaneous and deliberate modes of creativity: Multitask eigen-connectivity analysis captures latent cognitive modes
Hua Xie1, Roger E Beaty2, Sahar Jahanikia1
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, USA.
Neuroimage
|September 1, 2021
Summary
This study reveals that creative thinking involves both deliberate and spontaneous cognitive processes. Brain connectivity patterns during these tasks map onto these two modes, offering new insights into the neuroscience of creativity.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
- Psychology
Background:
- Understanding the neural basis of creativity is ongoing.
- The interplay between deliberate and spontaneous cognition in creativity lacks data-driven validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically validate the dual-process model of creativity using a data-driven approach.
- To identify the latent cognitive modes underlying creative thinking.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel continuous multitask paradigm (CMP) with fMRI.
- Applied eigen-connectivity (EC) analysis to whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns.
- Included tasks ranging from mind-wandering to working memory, alongside alternate uses task (AUT) and remote association task (RAT).
Main Results:
- Eigen-connectivity analysis revealed two latent components mapping to deliberate and spontaneous thinking.
- Creative tasks (AUT, RAT) occupied a 'creative cognitive space' characterized by high levels of both modes.
- This creative space showed increased intra-network connectivity (executive control, default mode network) and inter-network coupling.
Conclusions:
- Provides initial empirical evidence for the co-contribution of deliberate and spontaneous cognition in creativity.
- Demonstrates how a continuous multitask paradigm can capture distinct cognitive modes.
- Links individual differences in connectivity patterns to variations in deliberate and spontaneous thinking abilities.
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