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HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY article
Front. Integr. Neurosci.
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnint.2025.1523334
This article is part of the Research Topic Creativity and Insight in Different Conditions View all articles
Insight elements of mathematical problem solving in generally gifted and mathematical experts: ERP amplitudes in PO electrodes
Provisionally accepted- University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
School mathematics mainly embraces algorithmic problem solving, pays less attention to strategic reasoning, and rarely contains insightful problem solving. Based on our previous research, we hypothesize that success in solving insight problems correlates strongly with general giftedness, while mathematical expertise is essential for strategy-based problem solving. Furthermore, we employ a phenomenon of greater ERP amplitudes in PO4/8 electrodes associated with insightful problem solving. In this study, 114 high school students (aged 16-18) with varying degrees of general giftedness and mathematical expertise were asked to solve mathematical problem of three distinct type: (1) function problems, whose solutions are memory-based; (2) area problems that necessitate strategic thinking; and (3) insight problems, that necessitate insight for their resolution. The problem solving process was accompanied by ERP recording. We demonstrate that variations in accuracy of solutions and reaction time for correct responses between tasks are influenced by students' general giftedness and mathematical expertise. Our ERP analyses partly supported our hypotheses regarding the relationship between PO electrode activation, insight-based problem solving processes, and participants' levels of giftedness and mathematical expertise.
Keywords: Mathematical insight, General giftedness, Mathematical expertise, ERP, PO electrodes, mathematical problem solving
Received: 05 Nov 2024; Accepted: 17 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Waisman, Leikin and Leikin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Roza Leikin, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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