ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
主办:中国心理学会
   中国科学院心理研究所
出版:科学出版社

心理学报 ›› 2024, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (8): 1031-1046.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.01031

• 研究报告 • 上一篇    下一篇

“三心二意”胜过“一心一意”: 媒体多任务提升低工作记忆容量者创造力

周详1(), 张婧婧1, 白博仁1(), 翟宏堃2, 崔虞馨1, 祖冲1   

  1. 1天津市介入脑机与智能康复重点实验室, 南开大学社会学院社会心理学系, 天津 300350
    2天津师范大学教育学部, 天津 300387
  • 收稿日期:2023-04-13 发布日期:2024-06-17 出版日期:2024-08-25
  • 通讯作者: 周详, E-mail: zhouxiang@nankai.edu.cn; 白博仁, E-mail: 2120192072@mail.nankai.edu.cn
  • 作者简介:第一联系人:周详和张婧婧为本文共同第一作者。
  • 基金资助:
    国家社科项目(19FSHB010);教育部高等学校教指委教改项目(20221039);教育部产学合作协同育人项目(231000287155910)

Half-hearted is better than one-heart: Media multitasking promotes creativity in people with low working memory capacity

ZHOU Xiang1(), ZHANG Jingjing1, BAI Boren1(), ZHAI Hongkun2, CUI Yuxin1, ZU Chong1   

  1. 11 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Interventional Brain-Computer Interface and Intelligent Rehabilitation; Department of Social Psychology, School of Sociology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
    2Faculty of Education, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
  • Received:2023-04-13 Online:2024-06-17 Published:2024-08-25

摘要:

数字时代, 媒体多任务已然渗透人类生活方方面面。但以往研究主要探讨其消极影响, 忽视媒体多任务暗藏激发创造力的可能。基于创造力的坚持−灵活双通道理论, 通过3个仿真行为实验, 考察了媒体多任务对创造力的促进作用以及心智游移与工作记忆容量在其中的中介和调节作用。结果发现: 相比非媒体多任务, 个体进行媒体多任务时表现出更高的创造力(实验1), 其心理机制是媒体多任务诱发更高的心智游移频率, 进而提升创造力(实验1和实验2), 且这一提升效应只存在于低工作记忆容量组, 高工作记忆容量组中则表现为消极影响(实验3)。研究结果对揭示媒体多任务的积极功能, 拓展坚持−灵活交互视角以弥补双通道理论平行视角缺陷, 帮助不同特质个体有效利用媒体多任务提升创造力均有重要的启示价值。

关键词: 媒体多任务, 创造力, 心智游移, 工作记忆容量, 创造力双通道理论

Abstract:

In the digital age, media multitasking has permeated every aspect of human life. However, previous studies have mainly explored the negative effects of media multitasking, ignoring its potential to stimulate creativity. If media multitasking can be used effectively to promote creativity, individuals and companies can take the lead in innovation in this digital wave. Therefore, the present study aimed at examining the effects of media multitasking on creativity, revealing the mediating role of mind wandering, and further exploring the important boundary condition of working memory capacity.

To achieve the research objectives, three experiments were conducted. These experiments setted up simulation operating contexts to manipulate media multitasking and used multiple creativity tasks to measure creativity performance, including a standardized alternative uses task (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2) and a higher ecological validity idea generation task (Experiment 3). Specifically, Experiment 1 verified the boosting effect of media multitasking on creativity and initially explored the mediating role of mind wandering through thought probe; Experiment 2 further tested whether mind wandering is the psychological mechanism causing differences in creativity performance through manipulating the frequency of mind wandering; and Experiment 3 explored possible boundary conditions to test the moderating role of working memory capacity on media multitasking and creativity.

As predicted, the present research found significantly higher creativity performance in the media multitasking group than in the non-media multitasking group, and this difference was robust (Experiment 1, Experiment 3). Using thought probe (Experiment 1) and experimental manipulations (Experiment 2), we further identified mind wandering as a potential mechanism for the difference in creativity performance. Specifically, compared to non-media multitasking, media multitasking caused individuals to produce a higher frequency of mind wandering and therefore exhibit better levels of creativity. By measuring individuals' working memory capacity (Experiment 3), we also found that the effect of mind wandering on creativity was moderated by working memory capacity. For those with low working memory capacity, performing media multitasking not only resulted in a higher frequency of mind wandering experiences, but also enhanced creativity performance; for those with high working memory capacity, although media multitasking still resulted in a higher frequency of mind wandering experiences, this mind wandering state impaired creativity performance.

In summary, this study demonstrates the causal relationship between media multitasking and creativity, examines the mediating effect of mind wandering, and provides insight into the moderating role of working memory capacity. The results of this study have important implications for revealing the positive functions of media multitasking, expanding the persistence-flexibility interaction perspective to compensate for the parallel perspective of the dual pathway to creativity model, and helping individuals with different traits to effectively use media multitasking to enhance creativity.

Key words: media multitasking, creativity, mind wandering, working memory capacity, dual pathway to creativity model

中图分类号: