Intelligence in creative processes: An EEG study

• Intelligence studied in ill-defined tasks, not in standard defined tasks
• EEG alpha power during creation stages of Raven like matrices
• Synchronization over (pre)frontal sites with complex information processing
• Divergent to convergent shifting within and between thinking stages
• U-shaped function of alpha power related to stages of creative process

Intelligence and creativity are usually studied as two separate cognitive faculties assessed with standard problems having well- or ill-defined problem spaces; intelligence primarily focuses on finding the correct solution, creativity on generating new approaches. The view emerges, however, that they play complementary roles and may be more related than research recognizes. In the present study, participants (N = 52) created their own intelligence tasks: 3 × 3 matrices featuring relations between geometrical components. Using task related alpha synchronization, we demonstrated that intelligence integrates with creativity in a problem solving process evolving in open problem space. Activity was especially visible at prefrontal and frontal sites when information processing was most demanding, i.e., at the start of the creative process due to multiplicity of ideas, and at the end due to narrowing down alternatives. This research could open the way to an approach to cognition where intelligence-related abilities are studied in open problem spaces.