Uncorking the muse: Alcohol intoxication facilitates creative problem solving

Individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) increase the ability and tendency to devote greater attentional control to a task-improving performance on a wide range of skills. In addition, recent research on enclothed cognition demonstrates that the situational influence of wearing a white lab coat increases controlled attention, due to the symbolic meaning and physical experience of wearing the coat. We examined whether these positive influences on attentional control lead to negative performance outcomes on insight problem-solving, a task thought to rely on associative processes that operate largely outside of explicit attentional control. Participants completed matchstick arithmetic problems while either wearing a white lab coat or in a no-coat control condition. Higher WMC was associated with lower insight problem-solving accuracy in the no-coat condition. In the coat condition, the insight problem-solving accuracy of lower WMC individuals dropped to the level of those higher in WMC. These results indicate that wearing a white lab coat led individuals to increase attentional control towards problem solving, hindering even lower WMC individuals from engaging in more diffuse, associative problem-solving processes, at which they otherwise excel. Trait and state factors known to increase controlled attention and improve performance on more attention-demanding tasks interact to hinder insight problem-solving.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Executive Attention and Insightmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enclothed Cognition and Controlled Attention during Insight Problem-Solving

Stockum¹,

DeCaro

2014

“…Similarly, biofeedback intended to induce a passive mental state (by increasing alpha wave activity) has also been shown to improve creative performance (Haarmann, George, Smaliy, & Dien, 2012). Moreover, moderate intoxication from alcohol at once decreases working memory capacity while it also improves creative problem solving (Jarosz, Colflesh, & Wiley, 2012). Taken together, these various results converge toward the suggestion that less cognitive control or less focused attention may actually facilitate creative problem solving by engendering a less analytic approach to solution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Firing the Executive: When an Analytic Approach to Problem Solving Helps and Hurts

Aiello¹,

Jarosz²,

Cushen³

et al. 2012

Self Cite

Abstract:There is a general assumption that a more controlled or more focused attentional state is beneficial for most cognitive tasks. However, there has been a growing realization that creative problem solving tasks, such as the Remote Associates Task (RAT), may benefit from a less controlled solution approach. To test this hypothesis, in a 2x2 design, we manipulated whether solvers were given the RAT before or after an implicit learning task. We also varied whether they were told to "use their gut" as part of either initial task. The results suggest that a less analytic approach engendered by a "use your gut" instruction benefits performance on the RAT for monolingual solvers. The same benefit was not found for bilingual speakers suggesting that more controlled solution processes may be needed when speakers with multiple lexicons perform this task, which relies heavily on accessing common phrases in a particular language.

“…Lavric et al had participants solve the Wason card selection task (incremental problem) and Duncker's candle problem (insight problem) while concurrently counting auditory stimuli. Decrements were seen for the Wason card selection task but not for Duncker's candle problem, indicating that there may be an advantage to reduced attentional processing for tasks involving creativity as seen in Zacks (2011) andJarosz, Colflesh, andWiley (2012) (see Van Stockum & DeCaro, 2014 for research showing detrimental effects of increased attentional processing when solving insight problems). Overall though, research consistently indicates that multitasking situations pose an attention allocation problem where limited resources have to be distributed across various tasks to meet some criterion of performance.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rewarding Multitasking: Negative Effects of an Incentive on Problem Solving under Divided Attention

Wieth¹,

Burns²

2014

Research has consistently shown negative effects of multitasking on tasks such as problem solving. This study was designed to investigate the impact of an incentive when solving problems in a multitasking situation. Incentives have generally been shown to increase problem solving (e.g., Wieth & Burns, 2006), however, it is unclear whether an incentive can increase problem solving while attentional resources are divided. Participants were either given an incentive or not and asked to complete incremental and insight problems while either in a dual-task or single task condition. After solving the problems participants were given a surprise memory test. Results showed that the incentive only led to increases in problem solving in the single task condition but not the dual-task condition. Furthermore, results showed that an incentive in the dual-task condition led to an increase in recall of irrelevant information. These findings indicate that an incentive cannot ameliorate the detrimental effects of multitasking when problem solving and may even lead to an increase in irrelevant information processing. The ability to problem solve is often seen as an essential skill for individuals to succeed in today's world. The new Common Core State Standards Initiative, an educational initiative for grades K-12 in the United States, was designed to enhance students' problem solving and critical thinking skills, which are mentioned as crucial for entry-level careers, first-year college courses, and workforce training programs (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014). Indeed, problem solving ability has been reported as one of the top two job skills that employers are looking for when hiring (Casserly, 2012). Given the emphasis that has been placed on problem solving in educational and career settings, it is surprising that rather than focusing solely on solving a problem, many students and workers will engage in problem solving activities while also performing other tasks such as checking e-mail or watching TV. Indeed, simultaneously attending to multiple streams of information while working or studying has become an increasingly common behavior among younger individuals, such as college students (Rosen, Carrier, & Cheever, 2013). Rideout, Foehr, and Roberts (2010), in a report written by for the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that almost a third of the students surveyed said that when they were writing a paper or completing a problem, "most of the time" they were also watching TV, texting, listening to music, or using some other medium. Similarly, a national survey of 2,000 U.S. information workers showed that 92 percent of respondents confessed to multitasking during meetings and 41 percent admit to doing so "often" or "all the time" (FuzeBox, 2014).Incidence of multitasking continues to increase despite research consistently showing adverse impacts on task performance when switching between two cognitively demanding tasks or attempting to divide attentional resources to perform two tasks at once. For example, Bowman, L...