From Subconscious to Insight: Decoding the Incubation Process in Creative Problem Solving

Abstract

Creative problem-solving is a fundamental aspect of human cognition, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The incubation period, during which individuals temporarily disengage from conscious problem-solving efforts, has been proposed to facilitate insight through ongoing subconscious processing. Memory replay, defined as the sequential reactivation of previously encoded memories, has been implicated in a variety of cognitive processes, including learning, planning, and memory consolidation. Since insight is thought to arise from the reorganization and integration of existing knowledge, memory replay may provide a mechanism through which such restructuring occurs during incubation. This study investigated whether memory replay during incubation predicts subsequent insight and examined the replay dynamics associated with insight emergence. To this end, a novel visual sequential insight task (VSIT) was developed, and electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded during the incubation period from 58 participants. Using a localizer model trained on EEG data acquired in a separate localization session, spontaneous memory reactivation events during incubation were decoded and subsequently used to reconstruct replay. The results demonstrate that specific patterns of memory replay are associated with successful insight, suggesting that the subconscious reprocessing of task-relevant information contributes to creative problem-solving. Furthermore, insight-related memory replay was accompanied by enhanced low-gamma-band (30-50 Hz) functional connectivity across networks involved in visual processing, memory, reward, and sensorimotor functions. Together, these findings provide evidence for the role of memory replay in supporting insight and advance current understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying creativity.