"RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUAL ATTENTION AND FLOW EXPERIENCE IN A SERIOUS EDUCATIONAL GAME: AN EYE-TRACKING ANALYSIS" by Wai Ki Rebecca Cheng

Summary

This dissertation investigates the relationship between visual attention and flow experience in serious educational games (SEGs), specifically within a science-based game called Neuromatrix. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study uses eye-tracking technology and self-report surveys to analyse the interplay between cognitive (visual attention) and affective (flow) processes during gameplay amongst high school students. The research explores how these processes influence learning outcomes (perceived science learning and enjoyment), also considering individual differences such as science interest and gaming experience. Ultimately, the study aims to inform the design of more effective SEGs by understanding the cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying engagement and learning.

"Exploring the Creative Process: Integrating Psychometric and Eye-Tracking Approaches" by Dorota M. Jankowska, Marta Czerwonka, Izabela Lebuda and Maciej Karwowski

Summary

This research article explores the creative process by integrating psychometric testing, eye-tracking, and thinking-aloud protocols. The study used the Test of Creative Thinking-Drawing Production (TCT-DP) with 100 participants wearing eye-tracking glasses and verbalising their thought processes. Eye-tracking data significantly predicted TCT-DP scores, revealing that participants with the highest scores exhibited dynamic exploration and strategic switching between elements. Analysis of thinking-aloud protocols showed that high-scoring participants engaged in more decision-making and control activities, demonstrating a complex interplay between spontaneous exploration and deliberate refinement. The study concludes that this blended methodology offers a more nuanced understanding of the creative process than traditional psychometric approaches alone.

"The (Dis)Pleasures of Creativity: Spontaneous Eye Blink Rate during Divergent and Convergent Thinking Depends on Individual Differences in Positive and Negative Affect" by Alwin de Rooij and Ruben D. Vromans

Summary

This research paper investigates the relationship between spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) and creative thinking, specifically divergent and convergent thinking. The study examines how individual differences in positive and negative affect influence this relationship. Using the Alternative Uses Task (AUT) for divergent thinking and the Remote Associates Task (RAT) for convergent thinking, alongside an eye-tracker to measure sEBR, the researchers found that positive affect correlated with higher sEBR during divergent thinking, while negative affect correlated with higher sEBR during convergent thinking. Crucially, the interaction between affect and sEBR predicted performance on both thinking tasks, highlighting the importance of considering individual emotional states when studying creativity.

"Noradrenergic modulation of creativity" by de Rooij, Alwin; Vromans, Ruben; Dekker, M.

Summary

This 2018 paper from the Creativity Research Journal, by de Rooij, Vromans, and Dekker of Tilburg University, investigates the link between the locus coeruleus-noradrenaline (LC-NA) system and creativity. Using pupillometry (pupil dilation measurement as a proxy for LC-NA activity), two studies examined the relationship between tonic (baseline) and phasic (task-evoked) pupil dilation and performance on divergent and convergent thinking tasks. The key finding is that tonic LC-NA activity, reflected in tonic pupil dilation, significantly predicted the generation of original ideas during divergent thinking, across both psychometric and real-world tasks. Phasic LC-NA activity, measured by phasic pupil dilation, predicted effective idea generation in the real-world task, but not in the psychometric task. Importantly, neither tonic nor phasic activity predicted performance on convergent thinking tasks. The study thus provides novel experimental evidence supporting a differentiated role for LC-NA system activity in the creative process, specifically highlighting its influence on originality during divergent thinking.

"A Wandering Mind is Not Always a Creative Mind: How Thought Dynamics Explain the Relationship between Mind Wandering and Creativity" by Alwin de Rooij, Ali Atef, and Myrthe Faber (2024)

Summary

This research paper investigates the relationship between mind-wandering and creativity. Two studies, one surveying creative professionals and the other involving a student experiment, examined whether the context of thoughts (on-task vs. off-task) or the dynamics of thoughts (spontaneity, free-flowing nature) better explained the link. Results consistently indicated that spontaneous and freely moving thoughts positively correlated with self-reported creativity, while the context of thoughts had a weaker or insignificant effect. However, this relationship didn't always hold for expert evaluations of creativity, suggesting a possible bias in self-perception. The study concludes that thought dynamics, rather than thought context, are a key factor influencing creativity.

"Social Psychology of Creativity: A Consensual Assessment Technique" by Teresa M. Amabile (1982)

"The consensual assessment technique: An examination of the relationship between ratings of product and process creativity" by Beth A. Hennessey (1994)

Teresa Amabile’s 1982 paper proposes a consensual assessment technique for measuring creativity, which relies on the agreement of “appropriate observers”—those familiar with the domain being judged—rather than objective criteria. The technique is tested on artistic and verbal domains with high interjudge reliability, indicating that, while it is difficult to objectively define creativity, people can recognise it. Beth Hennessey’s 1994 paper further investigates this technique, finding that judges can reliably assess the creativity of both the product and the process that led to its creation and that these ratings tend to be highly correlated. Furthermore, Hennessey’s work suggests that judges’ assessments can be significantly influenced by the age of the creator.

"The restless mind" by Jonathan Smallwood and Jonathan Schooler (2013)

This research paper examines the phenomenon of mind wandering, exploring its relationship to executive control and attention. The authors propose that mind wandering, though often unintentional, requires executive control to shift attention away from the primary task and towards internal thoughts, goals, and memories. They argue that this shift can lead to superficial representations of the external environment and affect task performance. The paper also discusses the role of meta-awareness in detecting mind wandering and considers the potential relationship between mind wandering and problem-solving processes. The authors review a variety of research methods used to investigate mind wandering and provide a framework for integrating the phenomenon into mainstream models of executive attention.

"The Creative Process in Visual Art: A Longitudinal Multivariate Study" by Guillaume Fürst and Paolo Ghisletta (2012)

This article investigates the creative process in visual art, focusing on how the subprocesses of idea generation and idea selection evolve over time. The authors conducted a longitudinal study of 41 students in four Swiss art schools, collecting data on their creative process, personality, mood, and the final product. They found that idea generation tends to decrease over time, while idea selection follows an inverted U-shaped pattern, with a peak in the middle of the process. The study also revealed that both idea generation and idea selection, as well as personality factors, significantly influence the quality of the final creative product.

"Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1996)

This collection of text excerpts is a chapter from the book Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a leading expert in the study of creativity. It examines the lives of a wide range of creative individuals, from Nobel Prize winners to novelists and artists, to explore the factors that contribute to creative achievement, such as childhood experiences, social context, and personality traits. Csikszentmihalyi challenges traditional notions of creativity, arguing that it is not solely an individual phenomenon, but rather emerges from the interplay between a person's unique talents and the social and cultural environment in which they operate. He presents a systemic model of creativity that highlights the vital role of fields, domains, and social influences in shaping individual innovation.

"What does (and should) “mind wandering” mean?" by Paul Seli, David Maillet, Daniel L. Schacter, Michael J. Kane, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, and Daniel Smilek (2017)

This paper examines the various definitions of "mind wandering" that have been used in psychological research, and argues that they can be problematic, leading to inconsistencies and a lack of clarity in the understanding of the phenomenon. The authors propose that "mind wandering" should be viewed as a heterogeneous construct with many overlapping features, but also important differences. They advocate for a family-resemblances approach, suggesting that researchers should clearly articulate the specific aspects of mind wandering they are investigating and adopt a prototypical case of mind wandering as a point of reference for future research.