Sabina Hajdarovic
The power of insight has long been a topic of discussion and interest in the scientific community. Crucial discoveries have been the result of a sudden ‘aha’ or ‘all at once’ moment. Scientists such as Friedrich Kekule would brainstorm solutions to certain issues, rest on it, and dream a sudden discovery of the benzene model for example. Insight is defined as the feeling or thought that helps you to know something essential about a person or thing. As humans, we often rely on our insight to guide us through daily decisions as it provides a sense of self reassurance and accuracy. Much of research in the neuroscience field of insight has dealt with delving into how and where insight can be achieved in the brain.
Dr. Carola Salvi came in to discuss her research on the science behind insight. She explained how insight refers to that “aha” moment that is a result of an unawareness of steps that lead to it. There is also a sense of accuracy when one relies on their own insight, and science has proven that a person is more likely to be correct when following their insight. When using our insight, we are filtering all incoming visual information she argues. Dr. Salvi’s between subjects design conducted forty tDCS stimulations before, during, and after an instance where subjects had to choose whether their decision was based on insight or not. She found that the rATL in the brain facilitates processing of insight solving (i.e. understanding jokes). Alpha neurons were also observed to be the most significant for insight as they are most active in relaxed states.
A relevant study to Dr. Salvi’s research was conducted by a cognitive neuroscientist named John Kounios and his colleague, Mark Beeman. They developed a task for subjects to complete, in order to measure where insight occurs using brain scanning technology. (EEGs and fMRIs) Subjects were asked to solve dozens of word puzzles (i.e. anagrams) while their brains were being scanned for an EEG or fMRI. They were told to press a button as soon as they discovered the answer to the anagram, and then identify whether it came as an ‘aha’ moment of insight or a more deliberative analysis. Kounios and Beeman observed significantly high frequency oscillations around the right superior temporal gyrus. Furthermore, the right visual cortex was suppressed before the flash of insight because it oscillated at a much lower frequency 1.5 seconds before the subject pressed the button. They suggest that the drastic change in frequency may be due to the filtering of visual input prior to developing the insight. A relaxed state of mind can elicit creative insight based on past research, but Kounios and Beeman argue that there must be a solid basis of knowledge surrounding the topic of interest to begin with.
Both studies found certain brain areas that help localize some of the origins of insight, such as the rATL and right superior temporal gyrus. Brain scanning technology coupled with operationalized methods to study the mechanisms for insight are helping to narrow the literature gap of neuroscience research in this field. Further research has the potential to identify how insight can exactly be elicited and the practicality behind it. We will be waiting for our ‘aha’ moment on this insight matter.
References:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yrruoccwcc8fc6i/AAAt1sOFdEa5cLzrRhIITP0Wa/(02.12.19)%20-%20Carola%20Salvi?dl=0&preview=The-cognitive-neuroscience-of-insight-1jie1hg.pdf&subfolder_nav_tracking=1
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