Dissociating Semantic Integration and Inhibitory Control in the Remote Associates Test
A tDCS-EEG Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21612019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raquel Lezama (0000-0002-2501-5853, Universidad de Granada, corresponding author), Carlos J Gómez-Ariza (0000-0001-5889-7533, Universidad de Jaén), María-Teresa Bajo (0000-0003-2996-8261, Universidad de Granada) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 102-128 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Creativity Research Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1040-0419 • E-ISSN: 1532-6934 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10400419.2024.2373593 |
| OpenAlex | W4400378794 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 107 |
Neuromodulation was utilized here to investigate the distinct involvement of two recognized cortical hubs for semantic integration (the left anterior temporal lobe, lATL) and inhibitory control (the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, rDLPFC) in creative problem-solving. Participants were presented with a list of category-exemplar words, selectively recalled some of them, and then solved a set of RAT problems. Selective retrieval was introduced to trigger inhibitory control over competitors. Critically, some RAT problems could be solved with words from the previous phases of the experiment, including words that might be less accessible due to inhibition. Other problems, however, could only be solved with unpresented words. Experiment 1 showed that anodal tDCS over the lATL had a negative effect on the production of correct responses to baseline RAT problems, but not on those that required inhibited solutions. Experiment 2 produced the reverse pattern with cathodal tDCS over the rDLPFC. Resting-state EEG recordings were obtained before and after delivering tDCS, which also revealed specific tDCS-induced changes in frequency bands depending on the site of stimulation. Overall, these findings provide support for the involvement of semantic and control processes in creative problem solving that are linked to different brain networks
Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Creativity · Electroencephalography · Inhibitory control · Computer Science · EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces · Functional Brain Connectivity Studies · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
Alpha-band oscillations, attention, and controlled access to stored information
Associative thinking at the core of creativity
EEG alpha oscillations
The associative basis of the creative process.
Associative abilities underlying creativity.
The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight
Excitability changes induced in the human motor cortex by weak transcranial direct current stimulation
FieldTrip
The neural and computational bases of semantic cognition
Toward a neurocognitive framework of creative cognition
Default and Executive Network Coupling Supports Creative Idea Production
Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1
The assessment and analysis of handedness
The relation between semantic memory structure, associative abilities, and verbal and figural creativity
Memory and creativity
Accelerating Creativity
Linking creativity and false memory
Inhibitory Control as a Core Process of Creative Problem Solving and Idea Generation from Childhood to Adulthood
Using a Story Completion Task to Elicit Young children’s Subjective Well-Being at School
| Highly cited | No |
|---|