The Origins of Insight in Resting-state Brain Activity

Overview

Journal Neuropsychologia

Specialties Neurology
Psychology

Date 2007 Sep 4

PMID 17765273

Citations 95

Authors

John Kounios

Jessica I Fleck

Deborah L Green

Lisa Payne

Jennifer L Stevenson

Edward M Bowden

Mark Jung-Beeman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

People can solve problems in more than one way. Two general strategies involve (A) methodical, conscious, search of problem-state transformations, and (B) sudden insight, with abrupt emergence of the solution into consciousness. This study elucidated the influence of initial resting brain-state on subjects' subsequent strategy choices. High-density electroencephalograms (EEGs) were recorded from subjects at rest who were subsequently directed to solve a series of anagrams. Subjects were divided into two groups based on the proportion of anagram solutions derived with self-reported insight versus search. Reaction time and accuracy results were consistent with different cognitive problem-solving strategies used for solving anagrams with versus without insight. Spectral analyses yielded group differences in resting-state EEG supporting hypotheses concerning insight-related attentional diffusion and right-lateralized hemispheric asymmetry. These results reveal a relationship between resting-state brain activity and problem-solving strategy, and, more generally, a dependence of event-related neural computations on the preceding resting state.

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