The Virtual Reality and Neurocognition Lab, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion City, Haifa 32000, Israel.
The Virtual Reality and Neurocognition Lab, Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion City, Haifa 32000, Israel.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2017 Dec;122:50-55. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.09.008. Epub 2016 Sep 23.
Solving a problem with an "a-ha" effect is known as insight. Unlike incremental problem solving, insight is sudden and unique, and the question about its distinct brain activity, intrigues many researchers. In this study, electroencephalogram signals were recorded from 12 right handed, human participants before (baseline) and while they solved a spatial puzzle known as the '10 coin puzzle' that could be solved incrementally or by insight. Participants responded as soon as they reached a solution and reported whether the process was incremental or by sudden insight. EEG activity was recorded from 19 scalp locations. We found significant differences between insight and incremental solvers in the Gamma and Beta 2 bands in frontal areas (F8) and in the alpha band in right temporal areas (T6). The right-frontal gamma indicates a process of restructuring which leads to an insight solution, in spatial problems, further suggesting a universal role of gamma in restructuring. These results further suggest that solving a spatial puzzle via insight requires exclusive brain areas and neurological-cognitive processes which may be important for meta-cognitive components of insight solutions, including attention and monitoring of the solution.
顿悟是指用一种“啊哈”的效果来解决问题。与渐进式问题解决不同,顿悟是突然的、独特的,其独特的大脑活动也引起了许多研究人员的兴趣。在这项研究中,研究人员记录了 12 名右利手人类参与者在解决一个名为“10 硬币谜题”的空间谜题之前(基线)和解决过程中的脑电图信号。该谜题可以通过渐进式或顿悟来解决。参与者一想到解决方案就会做出反应,并报告解决过程是渐进式的还是突然顿悟的。脑电图活动从 19 个头皮位置记录。研究人员发现,在额叶区域(F8)的伽马和β2 波段以及右颞叶区域(T6)的α波段,顿悟解决者和渐进解决者之间存在显著差异。右额叶伽马波段表明,在空间问题中,顿悟解决方案需要一个结构重组的过程,进一步表明伽马在结构重组中具有普遍作用。这些结果进一步表明,通过顿悟解决空间谜题需要特定的大脑区域和神经认知过程,这对于顿悟解决方案的元认知成分(包括注意力和解决方案的监控)可能很重要。