The Incubation Effect Mechanism of Prototype Inspiration in Divergent Thinking

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2026.01.004

Abstract

Abstract: This study employed the metaphor production task to investigate the interaction mechanism between prototype types and the incubation effect. Study 1 adopted a 3 (prototype types: known-uninteresting, incongruity-resolving, unknown-strange)×2 (paradigm category: no-incubation, with-incubation) mixed design. Results showed that the incongruity-resolving prototype significantly enhanced originality and flexibility under the no-incubation condition. However, the other two prototypes performed better under the with-incubation condition. To further explore the interaction between prototype types and the incubation effect, Study 2 utilized a classic incubation paradigm, employing a 3 (prototype types: known-uninteresting, incongruity-resolving, unknown-strange)×3 (incubation paradigm: immediate-incubation, delayed-incubation, no-incubation) mixed design. The findings confirmed that immediate incubation strengthened the role of prototype inspiration, with the incongruity-resolving prototype demonstrating the best creative thinking performance under the immediate-incubation condition.

Key words: divergent thinking, creative thinking, prototype inspiration, paradigm category, incubation effect

摘要： 采用隐喻生成任务探究原型类型与酝酿效应的交互机制。研究1采用3(原型类型：已知无趣、失谐解困、未知陌生)×2(范式类别：无酝酿、有酝酿)混合实验设计，发现失谐解困在无酝酿下显著提升独创性与灵活性，但其他两种原型在有酝酿条件下表现更优。为进一步探究原型类型与酝酿效应的交互作用，研究2采用经典的酝酿范式，3(原型类型：已知无趣、失谐解困、未知陌生)×3(酝酿范式：即时酝酿、延时酝酿、无酝酿)混合实验设计，证实即时酝酿强化了原型作用，失谐解困在即时酝酿中表现最佳。

关键词: 发散思维, 创造性思维, 原型启发, 范式类别, 酝酿效应

CLC Number:

B842

LI Qingqing, WEI Yan, ZHOU Aibao. The Incubation Effect Mechanism of Prototype Inspiration in Divergent Thinking[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(1): 32-39.

李青青, 魏燕, 周爱保. 发散思维中原型启发的酝酿效应机制[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2026, 24(1): 32-39.

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