1. Tuesday Attention, cognitive control, and creativity

2. Attention is responsible for: Selection Reduction of surplus of information Vigilance Prolonged concentration Search Looking for information Dual task control Dividing resources

3. The stereotype Absent-minded genius Does this stereotype have any empirical support? If so, is absentmindedness a result or causal factor?

4. Introspective data Ghiselin, Rompel i Taylor (1964) Creative and less creative scientists Just before insight diffused, wandering, unstable focused Just after insight Steady, searching intensive In the phase of elaboration clear, intensive diffused

5. Mendelsohn & Griswold (1964) Participants were divided into high and low creative They memorized a list of words Then they solved anagrams msmrue oslcoh Some of the memorized words were solutions summer school

6. Results Creative participants solved more anagrams These effects were not accountable in terms of memory efficiency Conclusion: creative people unconsciously utilized the list of words

7. Other studies Anagrams „Incidental” sounds in the environment Some of these sounds helped to solve anagrams Creative persons were able to take advantage of incidental stimuli

8. Mendelsohn’s theory Cue utilization Incidental stimuli may serve as cues Cue utilization needs special states of attention Some persons’ attention is typically diffused and distractable These persons easily utilize cues Therefore they are creative

9. Evaluation of these studies Simple task not demanding any creativity The mechanisms of creative cognition are outlined but Difficult to replicate (particularly with different criteria of creativity)

10. Groborz (2003) Simple visual stimuli „Do something with these figures” Generative phase „Decide what you have done” Explorative phase Incidental verbal stimuli

11. Groborz (2003) Incidental words as cues Cue utilization Yes, in the generative phase No, in the explorative phase Dynamics of selective attention in the creative process

12. Kasof (1997) „Breadth of attention” questionnaire Do you feel the texture of your cloths? Can you read when a fly is making a noise around you? Positive but weak correlation between psychometric creativity and breadth of attention

13. Kasof (1997) White noise during problem solving raising the level of arousal „narrowing” attention White noise is harmful particularly for psychometrically creative persons

14. Kolańczyk (1992) Intensive attention goal-directed motivation rational thinking Extensive attention no specific goal intuitive thinking

15. Rawlings (1985) Dichotic listening attended channel (shadowing, structured material) ignored channel control words in the ignored channel recognition of control words Efficacy of attentional filter: How many control words have been recognized

16. Rawlings Attentional filter is weaker in Creative persons Psychotic persons The „leaking” attention hypothesis Intrusions Original associations

17. Creativity, psychoticism, and attention Psychoticism: personality factor Hans J. Eysenck’ hypothesis: dopamine lack of inhibition attention deficit P C (schizotypy, schizophrenia)

18. Creativity and ADHD Shaw (1992) ADHD – attention deficit hyperactive disorder Positive correlation between ADHD and psychometric creativity „Leaking” attention hypothesis

19. Nęcka (1999) DIVA (DIVided Attention) test main task (selection of stimuli) secondary task (motoric) More and less creative persons Urban & Jellen TCT-DP Creative Thinking Test Creative persons have to pay more for controlling of the secondary task

20. DIVA task P r R K N R

21. Nęcka (1999)

22. Interpretation Resources Sharing of „energy” Switching Cost of switch Distractability Secondary task draws attention

23. Słabosz (2000) Stroop interference task RedYellow GreenBlue Negative priming task A TA G F AF S G FP K K GT M

24. Słabosz (2000) Creative persons More susceptible to the interference effect Less susceptible to the negative priming effect Conclusion: creativity is associated with weaker cognitive inhibition an the preattentive stage of processing

25. To sum up Creativity has something to do with inefficiency of selective attention Top-down explanation Creativity affects attention Bottom-up explanation „Leaking” attention facilitates creativity Coincidence e.g., dopamine, inhibition, P, attention deficit

26. However... Alternative explanations e.g., automatic switch Dynamics of attention