Study of divergent and convergent thinking
This project is a collaboration between the University of Turin and the Polytechnic of Turin and focuses on understanding how divergent and convergent thinking differs.
In the project, two master thesis students Samuele Colombo (Polytechnic of Turin) and Alessandro Mazza (University Turin) have set up an experiment to study how persons acts in two different processes – divergent and convergent thinking. The project is a continuation of a project project previously performed with Polytechnic of Turin.
The project is a step in understanding the human's design process, can we categorize these two different types of processes (divergent/convergent) by measuring brain activity with EEG?
In the project, a study was conducted in which the subjects performed an alternative AlternativeUsesTask (AUT) of about 40 people.
During the experiment EEG was recorded with a 32 channel EEG and changes in task-related power (TRP) was measured. Then the TRP values was compared between the convergent and divergent thinking (compared to a neutral situation).
Previous studies has found a general increase of alpha power at the beginning of idea generation that was followed by a decrease and finally by a re-increase of alpha prior to responding. Additionally, the production of more original ideas has been connected to increasing hemispheric asymmetry (more alpha in the right than left hemisphere). But there has also been some conflicting results to this so the goal was to create another dataset that also collected eye tracking and emotion coding.
Divergent thinking means that you produce several or alternative answers from available information. The result is new (innovative) ideas and variability.
Convergent thinking, on the other hand, is focused on finding a single answer, through logic and with previously known knowledge. The result is a single answer and increased knowledge.
EEG (Electroencephalography) - a method for recording the spontaneous electrical activity of the cerebral cortex using electrodes.
Eye movements are used here to study how the subject touches the eyes and how often the person blinks.
Emotion coding by analysing the facial expressions it is possible to correlate to human emotions.
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