新颖语义联结在顿悟促进记忆效果中的作用

The role of novel semantic association in the promoting effect of insight on memory

采用成语谜题选择任务,通过学习−测验范式探究顿悟促进记忆的认知神经机制。实验1采用行为实验,验证成语谜题选择范式在探究顿悟促进记忆中的有效性,结果显示,相比于寻常联结条件,新颖联结条件下被试在学习阶段具有更高的顿悟感得分,在测试阶段具有更高的正确率,范式的有效性得以验证。实验2采用fMRI技术探究顿悟促进记忆的关键脑区。结果显示,相比于失败记忆新颖联结条件,成功记忆新颖联结条件更强地激活了顿悟过程相关脑区,包括海马、杏仁核、额中回、颞上回和颞中回。这说明在学习阶段的顿悟问题解决过程中,对信息的深加工与积极情绪促进了随后的记忆;对其进一步分析发现,相比于寻常联结记忆,新颖联结对记忆的促进效应主要与右侧海马激活有关,它可能反映了在顿悟问题解决中新颖联结形成过程建立了情节记忆以及新颖且有价值的语义联结。研究结果表明新颖语义联结形成在顿悟促进记忆中发挥了重要作用。

Previous empirical research has found the effect of insight on promoting memory retention during problem solving.Furthermore,neuroimaging studies have revealed that the amygdala,which is assumed to be associated with Aha experience,plays an important role in long-term memory of insightful events.While the emotional Aha experience is a key characteristic of insightful problem solving,some researchers emphasized that the core processes in creating insights involve breaking the mental set and forming novel and valuable associations.However,the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the promoting effect of insight on memory have not yet been fully explored.In this study,the paradigm of choice of answers to Chinese Chengyu riddles was adopted to investigate how the process of forming novel associations impacts the effect of insight on promoting subsequent memory.Two experiments were conducted in this study.In Experiment 1,the paradigm of choice of answers to Chinese Chengyu riddles consisted of two phases.In the learning phase,participants were asked to select the novel and suitable answer to the Chengyu riddle from four options;after one week,in the testing phase they were asked to recall the answer that they chose in the learning phase.The novel association and normal association condition were distinguished according to the selections of participants.The paradigm used in Experiment 2 was similar to that of Experiment 1.Additionally,the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging(fMRI)was used to record the neural activity in the learning phase.The results of Experiment 1 showed that the score of Aha experience in the learning phase and accuracy in the testing phase were significantly higher in the novel association condition compared to the normal association condition.In addition,Experiment 2 showed that the activity in the brain regions related to insight,including the hippocampus,amygdala,middle frontal gyrus,superior temporal gyrus and middle temporal gyrus,were significantly greater in the successful recall compared to the failed recall in novel association condition.Further analysis indicated that successful recall of novel association involved more activity in the right hippocampus compared to the recall of normal association.The current study verified the promoting effect of insight on memory,and indicated that forming novel semantic associations and related activity in the hippocampus may underlie this effect.