BI 104 John Kounios and David Rosen: Creativity, Expertise, Insight

What is creativity? How do we measure it? How do our brains implement it, and how might AI?Those are some of the questions John, David, and I discuss. The neuroscience of creativity is young, in its “wild west” days still. We talk about a few creativity studies they’ve performed that distinguish different creative processes with respect to different levels of expertise (in this case, in jazz improvisation), and the underlying brain circuits and activity, including using transcranial direct current stimulation to alter the creative process. Related to creativity, we also discuss the phenomenon and neuroscience of insight (the topic of John’s book, The Eureka Factor), unconscious automatic type 1 processes versus conscious deliberate type 2 processes, states of flow, creative process versus creative products, and a lot more.

• John Kounios.
• Secret Chord Laboratories (David’s company).
• Twitter: @JohnKounios; @NeuroBassDave.
• John’s book (with Mark Beeman) on insight and creativity.
  • The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain.
• The papers we discuss or mention:
  • All You Need to Do Is Ask? The Exhortation to Be Creative Improves Creative Performance More for Nonexpert Than Expert Jazz Musicians
  • Anodal tDCS to Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Facilitates Performance for Novice Jazz Improvisers but Hinders Experts
  • Dual-process contributions to creativity in jazz improvisations: An SPM-EEG study.

Timestamps
0:00 – Intro
16:20 – Where are we broadly in science of creativity?
18:23 – Origins of creativity research
22:14 – Divergent and convergent thought
26:31 – Secret Chord Labs
32:40 – Familiar surprise
38:55 – The Eureka Factor
42:27 – Dual process model
52:54 – Creativity and jazz expertise
55:53 – “Be creative” behavioral study
59:17 – Stimulating the creative brain
1:02:04 – Brain circuits underlying creativity
1:14:36 – What does this tell us about creativity?
1:16:48 – Intelligence vs. creativity
1:18:25 – Switching between creative modes
1:25:57 – Flow states and insight
1:34:29 – Creativity and insight in AI
1:43:26 – Creative products vs. process