Pilot Study: Investigating EEG Based Neuro-Responses of Engineers via a Modified Alternative Uses Task to Understand Creativity

Abstract Assessing creativity is not an easy task, but that has not stopped researchers from exploring it. Because creativity is essential to engineering disciplines, knowing how to enhance creative abilities through engineering education has been a topic of interest. In this paper, the event related potential (ERP) technique is used to study the neural responses of engineers via a modified alternative uses task (AUT). Though only a pilot study testing two participants, the preliminary results of this study indicate general neuro-responsiveness to novel or unusual stimuli. These findings also suggest that a scaled-up study along these lines would enable better understanding and modeling of neuroresponses of engineers and creative thinking, as well as contribute to the growing field of ERP research in the field of engineering.