Verbal insight revisited: fMRI evidence for early processing in bilateral insulae for solutions with AHA! experience shortly after trial onset

Abstract

In insight problem solving solutions with AHA! experience have been assumed to be the consequence of restructuring of a problem which usually takes place shortly before the solution. However, evidence from priming studies suggests that solutions with AHA! are not spontaneously generated during the solution process but already relate to prior subliminal processing. We test this hypothesis by conducting an fMRI study using a modified compound remote associates paradigm which incorporates semantic priming. We observe stronger brain activity in bilateral anterior insulae already shortly after trial onset in problems that were later solved with than without AHA!. This early activity was independent of semantic priming but may be related to other lexical properties of attended words helping to reduce the amount of solutions to look for. In contrast, there was more brain activity in bilateral anterior insulae during solutions that were solved without than with AHA!. This timing (after trial start/during solution) x solution experience (with/without AHA!) interaction was significant. The results suggest that (a) solutions accompanied with AHA! relate to early solution‐relevant processing and (b) both solution experiences differ in timing when solution‐relevant processing takes place. In this context, we discuss the potential role of the anterior insula as part of the salience network involved in problem solving by allocating attentional resources.

Verbal insight revisited — dissociable neurocognitive processes underlying solutions accompanied by an AHA! experience with and without prior restructuring

“…Moreover, in a recent study we found that the AHA! experience is correlated with neural activity in bilateral insula immediately after the presentation of the CRA problem (Becker et al, 2020b). Because restructuring is assumed to take place immediately before the solution, this early neural activity correlating with AHA!…”

“…The first one comprised the first three seconds after trial onset, that is when the prime and the target words are presented together. We chose three seconds to be consistent with the previous reported fMRI data for this solution phase (see, Becker et al, 2020b). The second phase of interest comprised the last second before the solution because we were only interested in this last moment before participants would become aware of the solution.…”

Verbal Insight Revisited: fMRI evidence for early processing in bilateral insulae for solutions with AHA! experience shortly after trial onset

“…Although the observed cluster in the left hippocampal gyrus did not reach significance in the whole-brain analysis, the ROI-based analysis suggests that solutions accompanied with AHA! experience exhibit increased hippocampal activity as had been shown before for insight problems during solution (Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Kizilirmak et al, 2016;Luo & Niki, 2003;Zhao et al, 2013). This hippocampal activation has been associated with detecting novel associations in a problem solving context (Kizilirmak et al, 2016;Luo & Niki, 2003) but it is widely recognized for its role in memory retrieval in general (e.g., Carr, Jadhav, & Frank, 2011;Ranganath, Cohen, Dam, & D'Esposito, 2004).…”

“…in insight problems (see Shen, 2018 for a meta-analysis). Increased activations in the medial temporal lobe (amygdala, hippocampus, and parahippocampal gyrus) (Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Kizilirmak, Thuerich, Folta-Schoofs, Schott, & Richardson-Klavehn, 2016;Ludmer, Dudai, & Rubin, 2011;Zhao et al, 2013) and right anterior superior temporal gyrus (Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Tik et al, 2018) amongst other areas have been reported in solutions with compared to without AHA! experience.…”

“…However, most research investigating the AHA! experience reports brain data at the time of solution or a few seconds before (e.g., Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Kizilirmak et al, 2016;Luo, Niki, & Phillips, 2004;Tik et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2013), for the whole trial (Tik et al, 2018) or before the respective trial starts (Kounios et al, 2006;Subramaniam et al, 2009) but not shortly after trial presentation or during the time of search for the solution compound. Only Aziz-Zadeh, Kaplan, and Iacoboni (2009) investigated neural correlates of anagram solutions directly after trial start using fMRI.…”