Divergent Thinking in the Engineering Design Context: Experimentation to Connect Performance to Neurocognitive Responses

发散性思维，这是与构思，仍然是一个不完全理解，但设计过程中非常重要的一部分。 利用认知神经科学实验研究不同创意生成方法和设计任务下的发散思维，并通过综合评价设计结果来研究其有效性，可以更好地理解创意生成过程。 认知神经科学使用不同的技术来研究大脑的活动，每种技术都有特定的特点，使技术最适合给定的研究问题。 与诸如脑电图（EEG）的电磁技术相比，诸如功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）或正电子发射断层扫描（PET）的血液动力学神经成像技术难以用于提供与创造性认知和发散性思维相关的大脑激活模式的直接测量。 利用这些重要技术科学地研究创意产生过程的研究本研究提出采用认知神经科学模型，利用脑电测量技术结合工程创意表现分析来评估学生的发散性思维和创造性过程。 这项多学科研究正在由一个团队进行探索，该团队结合了工程，神经科学和认知心理学领域的专业知识。其学术价值在于，它专注于使用认知神经科学来开发一种系统的方法来测量不同技术对发散思维的影响，以开发有效的工程创造力课程。该研究使用基于不同EEG频带的频谱功率变化的评估和事件相关脑电位的分析来跟踪与评估发散思维相关的脑激活模式的变化。更广泛的影响是洞察与实验设计和创新相关的发散思维的认知和神经机制。 该项目由NSF的EHR核心研究（ECR）计划支持。 ECR计划强调基础STEM教育研究，产生该领域的基础知识。

Divergent thinking, which is related to ideation, continues to be a not fully understood and yet a very important part of the design process. Using cognitive neuroscience experiments to study divergent thinking for various idea generation methods and design tasks, and studying the effectiveness by comprehensive evaluation design outcomes, we can better understand the idea generation process. Cognitive neuroscience uses different techniques to study the brain in action, and each technique has specific characteristics that make a technique optimal for a given research question. Hemodynamic neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) in comparison to electromagnetic techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) are difficult to utilize for providing direct measurements of brain activation patterns related to creative cognition and divergent thinking. Research on utilizing these important techniques to scientifically investigate idea generation process.The research proposes to use a cognitive neuroscience model that utilizes EEG measurement techniques in combination with engineering ideation performance analysis to assess student divergent thinking and creative processes. This multidisciplinary research is being explored by a team that has combined expertise in the fields of engineering, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. The intellectual merit is that it focused on using cognitive neuroscience to develop a systematic way to measure effects of different techniques on divergent thinking to develop effective creativity curriculum for engineering. The study uses assessments based upon changes in spectral power of the in different EEG frequency bands and the analysis of Event-Related BRAIN Potentials to track changes in brain activation patterns associated to assess divergent thinking The broader impacts is insight into the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying divergent thinking related to experimental design and innovation. This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) Program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM Education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field.