An emergent attractors model for idea generation process

Behavioral research on brainstorming discovered many cognitive, social and motivational factors that affect the idea generation process in individuals or in groups. There are still aspects not completely understood, especially the effects of sharing ideas or providing hints. In this paper we propose a conceptual dynamic model of the idea generation process to investigate the dynamics of idea generation process. The model consists of a network of fixed concept units with inter-connections determined by category membership and typicality of the unit. The novel feature of the model consists in the way ideas, represented as conceptual combinations, emerge in the conceptual network through a transient learning process. Simulation results show the effect of model parameters on idea generation process, and on convergent and divergent thinking. The model replicates results on the effect of hints presented sequentially versus simultaneously.