Neurophysiological Characteristics of Alternative Uses Task Performance by Means of ERP and ERS/ERD Data Analysis Depending on the Subject’s Productivity and Originality Levels

The paper presents an EEG/ERP study involving 44 subjects (26 m : 18 f, mean age 20 ± 1.8 y.o.) who participated in modified Alternative Uses Task (AUT, “create the most original uses”) and the control task (“name the objects related to different categories”) performance. The subjects were presented with 7–8 objects/category names in AUT and control task, respectively, and were to perform ten attempts (repetitions) with each stimulus. Each trial lasted for 5400 ms. The blocks of ten stimulus repetitions of creative/control tasks were randomized, so that each subject was presented with 70–80 creative and 70–80 control trials. The general group of subjects was divided according to their productivity in verbal AUT and originality in nonverbal Torrance “sketches” subtest. The high-productivity group (on the basis of AUT answers) was characterized by lower negativity of ERP amplitudes in the central and parietal areas for N300–N400 and higher P600 amplitudes in the frontal area during AUT vs the control CATEGORIES task. The low-productivity group was characterized by lower P200 amplitude and more negative N300–N400 amplitudes in frontal areas during AUT vs the control task. We assumed that a greater productivity is associated with activation of the semantic network, whereas the participants with lower productivity have visual attention mechanisms involved, which is probably less effective for task performance. In AUT compared to the control task was demonstrated the EEG desynchronization in the frequency range of 7–9 Hz in the frontal areas at 356–564 ms after the stimulus presentation in the high-productivity group. There were no differences between the conditions observed in the low-productivity group. AUT performance by the group with a high nonverbal originality level (Torrance “sketches”) was characterized by greater desynchronization of EEG at 5–8 Hz after stimulus presentation (before 296 ms) in the frontal and parietal areas in comparison with the low-originality group of subjects. Thus, it was assumed that productivity and originality during divergent thinking task performance (AUT) have different effects on the parameters of ERP and EEG synchronization/desynchronization.