Insight problem solving is characterized by mental impasses,states of mind in which the problem solver does not know what to do next.Although many studies have investigated the neural correlates of insight problem sol...Insight problem solving is characterized by mental impasses,states of mind in which the problem solver does not know what to do next.Although many studies have investigated the neural correlates of insight problem solving,however,the question when mental impasses occur during insight problem solving has been rarely studied.The present study adopted high temporal resolution ERPs to investigate the temporal dynamics of an impasse underlying insight problem solving.Time locked ERPs were recorded associated with problems with impasses(PWI) and problems without impasses(POI).The problem types were determined by participants' subjective responses.The results revealed an early frontocentral P2 was linked with the preconscious awareness of mental impasses and a P3a was associated with fixed attention when the impasse formed.These findings suggest the impasse may occur initially at a relatively early stage and metacognition plays an important role in insight problem solving.展开更多
Although previous studies have shown that sleep can inspire insight,it is still unclear whether meditation can promote insight.Meditation differs from other types of passive rest such as relaxation and sleep because i...Although previous studies have shown that sleep can inspire insight,it is still unclear whether meditation can promote insight.Meditation differs from other types of passive rest such as relaxation and sleep because it requires full consciousness andmindfulness of targets such as one's breathing.Forty-eight university students without meditation experience were recruited to learn a simple meditation technique.They were given a list of 10 insight problems to solve (the pre-test session).In this study,we focused on the unsolved problems and examined if they could be successfully solved after a 20min rest interval with or without meditation.Results showed that relative to the control group that listened to Chinese or English words and made a language judgment,the groups who learned meditation successfully solved significantly more failed problems from the pre-test session,providing direct evidence for the role of meditation in promoting insight.Further analysis showed that maintaining amindful and alert state during meditation (raising a hand to report every 10 deep breaths compared to every 100 deep breaths) resulted in more insight regarding the failed items from the pre-test session.This implies that it was watchfulness in meditation,rather than relaxation,that actually contributed to insight.Consistently,in the meditation session or control task,the percentage of alpha waves—a brain index of mental relaxation—was negatively correlated with insight.These results suggest a meditation-based insight-promoting mechanism different from that involved in passive rest such as relaxation and sleep.展开更多
The first neuroimaging study of real-time brain activity during insight problem solving was conducted almost ten years ago. Many subsequent studies have used high-resolution event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-r...The first neuroimaging study of real-time brain activity during insight problem solving was conducted almost ten years ago. Many subsequent studies have used high-resolution event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the temporal dynamics and neural correlates of insight. Recent results on the neural underpinnings of insight have led researchers to propose a neural framework referred to as the "insightful brain". This putative framework represents the neural basis of the cognitive and affective processes that are involved in insight. The insightful brain may involve numerous brain regions, including the lateral prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, cuneus, insula and cerebellum. Functional studies have demonstrated that the lateral prefrontal cortex is responsible for mental set shifting and breaking during insight problem solving. The cingulate cortex is involved in the cognitive conflict between new and old ideas and progress monitoring. The hippocampus, superior temporal gyrus and fusiform gyrus form an integrated functional network that specializes in the formation of novel and effective associations. The effective transformation of problem representations depends on a non-verbal visuospatial information-processing network that comprises the precuneus and cuneus. The insula reflects cognitive flexibility and the emotional experience that is associated with insight. The cortical control of finger movements relies on the cerebellum.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB833904)Research Innovation Program for College Graduates of Jiangsu Province (CXLX12_0353, CXLX12_0351)the Fourth High-level Personnel Training Project in Jiangsu Province
文摘Insight problem solving is characterized by mental impasses,states of mind in which the problem solver does not know what to do next.Although many studies have investigated the neural correlates of insight problem solving,however,the question when mental impasses occur during insight problem solving has been rarely studied.The present study adopted high temporal resolution ERPs to investigate the temporal dynamics of an impasse underlying insight problem solving.Time locked ERPs were recorded associated with problems with impasses(PWI) and problems without impasses(POI).The problem types were determined by participants' subjective responses.The results revealed an early frontocentral P2 was linked with the preconscious awareness of mental impasses and a P3a was associated with fixed attention when the impasse formed.These findings suggest the impasse may occur initially at a relatively early stage and metacognition plays an important role in insight problem solving.
基金supported by the Education Program of the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant No.BBA100016)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No.2010CB833904)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.30970890 and 30770708)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No.2008AA022604)
文摘Although previous studies have shown that sleep can inspire insight,it is still unclear whether meditation can promote insight.Meditation differs from other types of passive rest such as relaxation and sleep because it requires full consciousness andmindfulness of targets such as one's breathing.Forty-eight university students without meditation experience were recruited to learn a simple meditation technique.They were given a list of 10 insight problems to solve (the pre-test session).In this study,we focused on the unsolved problems and examined if they could be successfully solved after a 20min rest interval with or without meditation.Results showed that relative to the control group that listened to Chinese or English words and made a language judgment,the groups who learned meditation successfully solved significantly more failed problems from the pre-test session,providing direct evidence for the role of meditation in promoting insight.Further analysis showed that maintaining amindful and alert state during meditation (raising a hand to report every 10 deep breaths compared to every 100 deep breaths) resulted in more insight regarding the failed items from the pre-test session.This implies that it was watchfulness in meditation,rather than relaxation,that actually contributed to insight.Consistently,in the meditation session or control task,the percentage of alpha waves—a brain index of mental relaxation—was negatively correlated with insight.These results suggest a meditation-based insight-promoting mechanism different from that involved in passive rest such as relaxation and sleep.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30770708)National Basic Research Program of China (2010CB833904)the Fourth High-level Personnel Training Project in Jiangsu Province
文摘The first neuroimaging study of real-time brain activity during insight problem solving was conducted almost ten years ago. Many subsequent studies have used high-resolution event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the temporal dynamics and neural correlates of insight. Recent results on the neural underpinnings of insight have led researchers to propose a neural framework referred to as the "insightful brain". This putative framework represents the neural basis of the cognitive and affective processes that are involved in insight. The insightful brain may involve numerous brain regions, including the lateral prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, cuneus, insula and cerebellum. Functional studies have demonstrated that the lateral prefrontal cortex is responsible for mental set shifting and breaking during insight problem solving. The cingulate cortex is involved in the cognitive conflict between new and old ideas and progress monitoring. The hippocampus, superior temporal gyrus and fusiform gyrus form an integrated functional network that specializes in the formation of novel and effective associations. The effective transformation of problem representations depends on a non-verbal visuospatial information-processing network that comprises the precuneus and cuneus. The insula reflects cognitive flexibility and the emotional experience that is associated with insight. The cortical control of finger movements relies on the cerebellum.
