The Electrophysiological Correlates of Scientific Innovation Induced by Heuristic Information

Abstract

In this study, novel and old scientific innovations (NSI and OSI) were selected as materials to explore the electrophysiological correlates of scientific innovation induced by heuristic information. Using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to do so, college students solved NSI problems (for which they did not know the answers) and OSI problems (for which they knew the answers). A new experimental paradigm (heuristic information learning–problems testing model) was adopted to make subjects actively find a solution. The results showed that the P3 amplitude was higher for OSI than for NSI between 360 and 430 ms after onset of the problem stimuli. This finding most likely reflects an automatic matching process based on the known answer retrieval, which would be easier for OSI than NSI problems. However, the N4 amplitude was higher for NSI than for OSI between 430 and 500 ms and a greater negativity in the NSI (in comparison with OSI) developed between 500 and 900 ms. This pattern could reflect the generation of novel solutions due to the application of heuristic information (retrieved from memory) during NSI problems solving.