The role of novel semantic association in the promoting effect of insight on memory

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2021.00837

Abstract

Abstract:

The present study explores the cognitive and neural mechanisms of insight promoting memory through the learning-test paradigm. In Experiment 1, a behavioral experiment was conducted to test the validity of the Chengyu riddle selection paradigm in exploring insight to promote memory. The results showed that compared with the ordinary associative condition, the participants under the novel associative condition had higher scores of insight in the learning stage and a higher accuracy rate in the test phase, so the effectiveness of the paradigm is verified. In Experiment 2, fMRI was used to explore the key brain regions where insight promotes memory. The results showed that compared with the novel association condition of unsuccess memory, the novel association condition of successful memory activated the brain regions related to the insight process more strongly, including the hippocampus, amygdala, middle frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus. This suggests that deep processing of information and positive emotions during insight problem- solving in the learning phase promote memory, and further analysis shows that compared with normal associative memory, the facilitation effect of novel association on memory is mainly related to the activation of the right hippocampus, which may reflect that the formation of novel association builds episodic memory and novel and valuable semantic associations during insight problem- solving. The results show that the formation of novel semantic associations plays an important role in the insight's promotion of memory.

Key words: novel semantic association, insight, memory, hippocampus, Chengyu riddle

CHEN Shi, LIANG Zheng, LI Xianglan, CHEN Yanran, ZHAO Qingbai, YU Quanlei, LI Songqing, ZHOU Zhijin, LIU Lizhong. (2021). The role of novel semantic association in the promoting effect of insight on memory. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 53(8), 837-846.

Figures/Tables 8

References 27

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Riddles	Novel answers	Ordinary answers	Irrelevant A1	Irrelevant A2
Doing more and more quickly	overwork becomes illness	Practice makes perfect	So cool	It’s very fluid
Sightseeing	You can see everything	Travel around the world	praise	Unswerving till death

Riddles	Novel answers	Ordinary answers	Irrelevant A1	Irrelevant A2
Doing more and more quickly	overwork becomes illness	Practice makes perfect	So cool	It’s very fluid
Sightseeing	You can see everything	Travel around the world	praise	Unswerving till death

Association types	Selective reaction time (s)	The “Aha” experience
Novel association	3.65 ± 0.51	3.96 ± 1.01
Ordinary association	3.85 ± 0.54	3.00 ± 1.05

Association types	Selective reaction time (s)	The “Aha” experience
Novel association	3.65 ± 0.51	3.96 ± 1.01
Ordinary association	3.85 ± 0.54	3.00 ± 1.05

Association types	Remember (%)	Familiarity (%)	Guess (%)
Novel association	61.56 ± 18.19	17.68 ± 10.40	4.71 ± 4.57
Ordinary association	34.05 ± 24.26	25.24 ± 14.39	11.56 ± 13.85