Faculty Sponsor(s)
Kay Livesay
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library
Subject Area
Psychology
Description
Although research has generally shown that positive affect broadens attentional scope and enhances creativity, recent evidence suggests that the mood-attention relationship depends on the present dominant attentional focus. The current research seeks to extend these findings to the ability to solve insight problems. Undergraduates were primed to focus globally or locally and induced with a mood before completing insight problems. Contrary to past research, participants primed with a local, as opposed to global, focus of attention solved significantly more insight problems. There was no significant mood-attention interaction on insight problem-solving ability. This suggests that convergent thinking may play as substantial a role as divergent thinking in insight problem solving. Moreover, at least in the realm of insight, mood does not act as a signal that determines if a dominant attentional focus is acted upon or not.
Recommended Citation
Foong, Eureka C.Y., "Mood, Attention, and the Aha! Moment" (2014). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 24.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2014/all/24
Mood, Attention, and the Aha! Moment
Jereld R. Nicholson Library
Although research has generally shown that positive affect broadens attentional scope and enhances creativity, recent evidence suggests that the mood-attention relationship depends on the present dominant attentional focus. The current research seeks to extend these findings to the ability to solve insight problems. Undergraduates were primed to focus globally or locally and induced with a mood before completing insight problems. Contrary to past research, participants primed with a local, as opposed to global, focus of attention solved significantly more insight problems. There was no significant mood-attention interaction on insight problem-solving ability. This suggests that convergent thinking may play as substantial a role as divergent thinking in insight problem solving. Moreover, at least in the realm of insight, mood does not act as a signal that determines if a dominant attentional focus is acted upon or not.
