Think Outside the Box: The Effects of Cognitive Training on Creative Problem Solving

Think Outside the Box: The Effects of Cognitive Training on Creative Problem Solving Jared T. Ramsburg (jramsb2@uic.edu) University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Psychology (MC 285) 1007 West Harrison Street Chicago, Illinois, 60607-7137 Robert J. Youmans (ryouman2@gmu.edu) George Mason University Department of Psychology 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F5 Fairfax, VA 22030 Abstract Problem solving requires the use of higher mental functions, functions that can be improved with training (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007). The current study examines the effects of meditation on creative problem solving. Participants were undergraduate students (n = 81) who were randomly assigned to meditate or rest. Next, Pp were asked to solve a problem: fishing out a small object from inside a box using one of four available tools. Two of the available tools were potentially useful, but the other two were intentionally designed to be useless (i.e., they were incapable of retrieving the object). There were no differences between meditators and non- meditators with respect to solution rates, tool switching behavior, or overall persistence. However, meditators spent more time with their first tool that they selected, and more time attempting to solve the task with the useful tools. Brief meditation training may promote certain cognitive strategies that are conducive to successful problem solving; implications are discussed. Keywords: problem solving; cognitive training; meditation. Introduction Recently, investigations have demonstrated that cognitive training, activities designed to improve performance, self- control, and brain physiology, provides an effective method for improving a variety of higher order mental functions including reasoning, decision-making, and task-set switching (Basak, Boot, Voss, & Kramer, 2008; Mestre, Dufresne, Gerace, & Hardiman, 1993; Willis et al., 2006). Research suggests that a broad range of cognitive training techniques is effective. Manger, Eikenland, and Asbjornsen (2002) were able to improve the social-cognitive functioning of female schoolchildren with a 9-month long social-cognitive training program. Basak et al. (2008) utilized 23.5 hours of training using a real-time strategy video game, and found that the training improved task switching, working memory, and reasoning. Smith et al. (2009) found that a computerized cognitive training program improved attention and memory of aged adults. Indeed, these and many other studies demonstrate that cognitive training can improve cognitive performance in a variety of areas when used over the long term. The study described here investigated a very specific form of cognitive training called focused meditation, a process where a person attempts to sustain attention on a selected thought, detect mind wandering, and return to focused attention. Meditation is a form of cognitive training, and studies have demonstrated the benefits of meditation on cognitive functions (Ramsburg & Youmans, 2011; Tang et al., 2007; Zeidan, Johnson, Diamond, David, & Goolkasian, 2010). Meditation techniques are also relatively simple to teach, and some research has demonstrated measurable improvements in cognitive function even with very little meditation experience. Ramsburg and Youmans (2011) found that initial periods of meditation that lasted only six minutes at the start of a class lecture improved academic performance amongst lower division college students. Tang et al. (2007) found that five 20-minute sessions of meditation reliably improved attentional functioning, while Zeidan et al. (2010) found improvements in attentional functioning, working memory, and visuo-spatial processing with only four sessions of meditation training. Problem solving and meditation? General problem solving skills involve an ability to understand a problem, devise a plan of action, execute the plan, and examine the results (Newell & Simon, 1972). An important question in the problem solving literature is whether the individual steps within the problem solving process can be enhanced, and the answer it would seem is ‘maybe.’ For example, we know that experts in a given domain are often superior to novices at both understanding a problem and devising a plan of action. However, we also know that when the rules of a domain are compromised