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Retrieval flexibility links to creativity: evidence from computational linguistic measure
Jingyi Zhang1,2, Kaixiang Zhuang1,2, Jiangzhou Sun3
1Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|October 11, 2022
Summary
Retrieval flexibility, the ability to adapt memory recall, is crucial for creativity. This study links flexible memory retrieval to enhanced idea generation and specific brain activity patterns, advancing our understanding of creative cognition.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Creativity is linked to semantic retrieval, with flexible retrieval ability proposed as key for idea generation.
- Existing research lacks depth on how memory retrieval flexibility influences creative activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify retrieval flexibility using novel metrics.
- To investigate the behavioral and neural correlates of retrieval flexibility in creativity.
- To explore the dynamic aspects of memory retrieval in creative processes.
Main Methods:
- Developed 5 metrics to quantify retrieval flexibility.
- Examined behavioral correlations between retrieval flexibility and creativity constructs.
- Analyzed neural associations, focusing on brain state dynamics and functional connectivity during rest.
Main Results:
- Retrieval flexibility positively correlated with creativity-related behaviors.
- Flexible retrieval promoted distinct cognitive search patterns across different creative groups.
- High retrieval flexibility was associated with prolonged specific brain states involving default mode, executive control, and salience networks.
- Flexible functional connectivity within and between these large-scale brain systems was observed.
Conclusions:
- Retrieval flexibility is a significant factor in creativity, influencing both behavior and neural dynamics.
- The study provides evidence for the role of dynamic brain states and flexible functional connectivity in creativity.
- Retrieval flexibility acts as a mediator between brain state dynamics and creative capacity.
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