Changes in semantic memory structure support successful problem-solving and analogical transfer.

Creative problem-solving is central in daily life, yet its underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Restructuring (i.e.

Impaired creative cognition after surgery for an IDH-mutated glioma: A proof-of-concept study.

Assessment of high cognitive functions, such as creativity, is often overlooked in medical practice. However, it is crucial to understand the impact of brain tumors, specifically low-grade gliomas, on creative cognition, as these tumors predominantly affect brain regions associated with cognitive creativity. In this study, we investigated creative cognition using the Alternative Uses Task (AUT) and the Combination of Associates Task (CAT) in a cohort of 29 patients who underwent brain surgery for a low-grade glioma, along with 27 control participants.

Time course of EEG power during creative problem-solving with insight or remote thinking.

Problem-solving often requires creativity and is critical in everyday life. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying creative problem-solving remain poorly understood. Two mechanisms have been highlighted: the formation of new connections among problem elements and insight solving, characterized by sudden realization of a solution.

How subjective idea valuation energizes and guides creative idea generation.

What drives us to search for creative ideas, and why does it feel good to find one? While previous studies demonstrated the positive influence of motivation on creative abilities, how reward and subjective values play a role in creativity remains unknown. This study proposes to characterize the role of individual preferences (how people value ideas) in creative ideation via behavioral experiments and computational modeling. Using the Free Generation of Associates Task coupled with rating tasks, we demonstrate the involvement of valuation processes during idea generation: Preferred ideas are provided faster.

An investigation of the cognitive and neural correlates of semantic memory search related to creative ability.

Creative ideas likely result from searching and combining semantic memory knowledge, yet the mechanisms acting on memory to yield creative ideas remain unclear. Here, we identified the neurocognitive correlates of semantic search components related to creative abilities. We designed an associative fluency task based on polysemous words and distinguished two search components related to clustering and switching between the different meanings of the polysemous words.

Through Thick and Thin: Changes in Creativity During the First Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 took us by surprise. We all had to face the lockdown and pandemic that put us in a new context, changing our way of life, work conditions, and habits. Coping with such an unprecedented situation may have stimulated creativity.

Brain connectivity-based prediction of real-life creativity is mediated by semantic memory structure.

Associative theories of creativity argue that creative cognition involves the abilities to generate remote associations and make useful connections between unrelated concepts in one's semantic memory. Yet, whether and how real-life creative behavior relies on semantic memory structure and its neural substrates remains unclear. We acquired multi-echo functional magnetic resonance imaging data while participants underwent a semantic relatedness judgment task.

Does adding <i>beer</i> to <i>coffee</i> enhance the activation of <i>drinks</i>? An ERP study of semantic category priming.

Categorization - whether of objects, ideas, or events - is a cognitive process that is essential for human thinking, reasoning, and making sense of everyday experiences. Categorization abilities are typically measured by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) similarity subtest, which consists of naming the shared category of two items (e.g.