Date of Graduation

12-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Psychology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Zabelina, Darya L.

Committee Member

Leong, Josiah K.

Second Committee Member

Judah, Matt

Keywords

Alpha band; attention; Creative process; Imagery; task-related power; Visual art expertise

Abstract

Generating and drafting ideas are creative processes linked to internal neural mechanisms, such as directed attentional states, reflected in alpha band synchronization patterns. Previous research has demonstrated that these mechanisms vary based on levels of expertise during creative tasks. However, few studies have examined the multifaceted nature of ideation and externalization across multiple stages of the creative process, particularly when accounting for domain-specific expertise in imagery and figural tasks. The present study investigates alpha band synchronicity (lower and upper) across visual art backgrounds, specifically among artists, intermediates, and non-artists, during three distinct stages of the creative process: thinking of ideas, imagining an idea, and drawing the idea. A total of 33 participants (artists n = 11; intermediates n = 12; non-artists n = 10) completed behavioral questionnaires to assess trait-level imagery vividness and imagination. Using a 32-channel mobile EEG, participants were instructed to (1) think of ideas, (2) imagine drawing one idea, and (3) physically draw their imagined idea using typical art supplies (e.g., pastels). Behaviorally, intermediate artists demonstrated the highest tendencies for goal-directed imagination, whereas professional artists reported the lowest. Trait imagery vividness was comparable across all groups. At the neural level, in the lower alpha band (8–10 Hz), non-artists exhibited greater desynchronization during the drawing stage, while artists demonstrated desynchronization only when creating common drawings. The most pronounced group effects emerged as hemispheric and regional differences: artists showed greater lower alpha synchronization in visual processing areas (occipital and centrotemporal) and desynchronization in frontal and frontocentral regions, whereas non-artists exhibited greater synchronization in frontal regions and desynchronization in the centrotemporal area.
Similar group differences were observed in the upper alpha band (10–12 Hz), with artists showing stronger synchronization in occipital areas and non-artists demonstrating stronger synchronization in frontal regions. These findings suggest that artistic expertise modulates neural mechanisms during creative tasks, with artists relying on visual and spatial processing and non-artists emphasizing attentional control. The results highlight the importance of accounting for expertise in creative cognition research, particularly regarding attentional states. Future studies should further explore how these neural mechanisms influence the generalizability of alpha band activity across tasks and their relationship to real-world creative engagement and achievements.

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