Overcoming fixation with repeated memory suppression

被引:19
作者
Angello, Genna [1 ]
Storm, Benjamin C. [2 ]
Smith, Steven M. [1 ]
机构
[1] Texas A&M Univ, Dept Psychol, College Stn, TX 77843 USA
[2] Univ Calif Santa Cruz, Dept Psychol, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 USA
关键词
Creative thinking; Memory inhibition; Fixation; RETRIEVAL; INCUBATION; GENERATION;
D O I
10.1080/09658211.2014.889167
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Fixation (blocks to memories or ideas) can be alleviated not only by encouraging productive work towards a solution, but, as the present experiments show, by reducing counterproductive work. Two experiments examined relief from fixation in a word-fragment completion task. Blockers, orthographically similar negative primes (e.g., ANALOGY), blocked solutions to word fragments (e.g., A_L_ _GY) in both experiments. After priming, but before the fragment completion test, participants repeatedly suppressed half of the blockers using the Think/No-Think paradigm, which results in memory inhibition. Inhibiting blockers did not alleviate fixation in Experiment 1 when conscious recollection of negative primes was not encouraged on the fragment completion test. In Experiment 2, however, when participants were encouraged to remember negative primes at fragment completion, relief from fixation was observed. Repeated suppression may nullify fixation effects, and promote creative thinking, particularly when fixation is caused by conscious recollection of counterproductive information.
引用
收藏
页码:381 / 389
页数:9
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