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In the present study, the correlations of eye blink rate (EBR)with the effective execution of early and late creative ideageneration were explored. Participants engaged in a real-world idea generation task. Resting state EBR (before thetask) and task-evoked EBR (during the task) were measuredusing eye-tracking. The results showed that resting state EBRnegatively correlated with the amount of generated ideasduring early stage, but not late stage idea generation. Task-evoked EBR did not correlate with the amount of generatedideas during early nor late stage idea generation. However,the change in EBR (from resting state to during early or latestage idea generation) positively correlated with the amountof ideas generated during early, but not during late stage ideageneration. The contribution of this study is that it shows thatEBR predicts and dissociates the effective execution of earlyand late stage creative idea generation.

Previous research has demonstrated that individual differences in affect and motivation predict divergent and convergent thinking performance, two thinking processes involved in creative idea generation. Individual differences in affect and motivation also predict spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) during divergent and convergent thinking; and sEBR predicts divergent and convergent thinking performance. This study investigates experimentally whether the relationship between sEBR and divergent and convergent thinking depends on individual differences in affect and motivation. Eighty-two participants completed the Emotion/motivation-related Divergent and Convergent thinking styles Scale (EDICOS; G. Soroa et al., 2015), performed the alternative uses task (AUT; divergent thinking) or the remote associates task (RAT; convergent thinking), while their sEBR was captured with an eye-tracker. The results showed that individual differences in positive affect positively correlated with sEBR for the AUT, whereas individual differences in negative affect positively correlated with sEBR for the RAT. Furthermore, the interaction between individual differences in positive and negative affect and sEBR predicted divergent and convergent thinking performance. The contribution of our study is therefore that individual differences in positive and negative affect can both positively correlate with sEBR during divergent and convergent thinking; and that this predicts divergent and convergent thinking performance.

Creative people regulate their own attentional flexibility and focus in response to creative task demands in a way that favors the emergence of original and effective solutions. So far, not much is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie such abilities. Here, the function of the locus coeruleus noradrenaline (LC-NA) system in creativity was explored using pupillometry. Two studies experimentally tested whether tonic pupil dilation (as a proxy for measuring tonic LC-NA activity) and phasic pupil dilation (as a proxy for measuring phasic LC-NA activity) predicted performance on divergent and convergent thinking using both psychometric (study 1) and real-world creativity tasks (study 2). During divergent thinking, it was consistently found that tonic pupil dilation predicted the generation of original ideas in both creativity tasks, and phasic pupil dilation predicted the generation of effective ideas only in the real-world creativity task. However, during convergent thinking, tonic and phasic pupil dilation did not predict creative task performance in both creativity tasks. Therefore, this study was the first to provide experimental evidence that suggests that tonic and phasic LC-NA activity differentially predict the generation of original and effective ideas during creative tasks that require divergent thinking.

Despite great promise of using personalized risks of treatment outcomes during shared decision-making, patients often experience difficulty evaluating and using them. We examined the effects of providing comparative information of the average person's risk when discussing personalized risks on people's cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses. Participants (n = 1,807) from a representative sample of the Dutch population received personalized risks of treatment side-effects in three different health scenarios. Participants either received only their own personalized risk statistic, or with comparative data indicating that their risk was below or above average. Furthermore, we examined whether the effects would be influenced by message format (natural frequencies with or without icon arrays) and individual differences (subjective numeracy, health literacy, and graph literacy). Providing comparative information did not influence participants' risk perceptions, affective evaluations, nor their treatment intention. However, participants who were told that their personalized risks were above average, estimated their own risk as lower than participants who received the same personalized risks that were below average or that were without any comparative data. Message format and individual differences did not influence people's responses to comparative data. Healthcare professionals can consider providing comparative data for helping people make sense of their personalized risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that individual differences in affect and motivation predict divergent and convergent thinking performance, two thinking processes involved in creative idea generation. Individual differences in affect and motivation also predict spontaneous eye blink rate (sEBR) during divergent and convergent thinking; and sEBR predicts divergent and convergent thinking performance. This study investigates experimentally whether the relationship between sEBR and divergent and convergent thinking depends on individual differences in affect and motivation. Eighty‐two participants completed the Emotion/motivation‐related Divergent and Convergent thinking styles Scale (EDICOS; G. Soroa et al., 2015), performed the alternative uses task (AUT; divergent thinking) or the remote associates task (RAT; convergent thinking), while their sEBR was captured with an eye‐tracker. The results showed that individual differences in positive affect positively correlated with sEBR for the AUT, whereas individual differences in negative affect positively correlated with sEBR for the RAT. Furthermore, the interaction between individual differences in positive and negative affect and sEBR predicted divergent and convergent thinking performance. The contribution of our study is therefore that individual differences in positive and negative affect can both positively correlate with sEBR during divergent and convergent thinking; and that this predicts divergent and convergent thinking performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the major changes in internet use for health communication, the objective of the current study was to compare the internet use and wishes of cancer survivors between 2005 and 2017.Methods: The authors drew a sample of 390 patients in 2005 and 539 patients in 2017 who were diagnosed with breast (128 patients in 2005 and 143 patients in 2017), prostate (96 patients in 2005 and 126 patients in 2017), or gynecologic (89 patients in 2005 and 188 patients in 2017) cancer or lymphoma (77 patients in 2005 and 82 patients in 2017) in 4 different hospitals for the periods 2002 through 2004 and 2014 through 2016. These patients were sent a paper-based questionnaire that contained 45 questions regarding demographics and 4 functions of internet use: content, communication, community, and e-health.Results: The response in 2017 (53%) was lower than that in 2005 (75%). Survivors browsed the internet most frequently to search for information regarding cancer shortly after being diagnosed and while waiting for treatment. There was little change noted with regard to the relative importance attached to the various subjects. In 2017, significant increases were evident with regard to finances (+33%), health care insurance (+29%), and genetics and/or heritability (+27%). The wishes expressed in 2005 by patients were realized in part in 2017.Conclusions: A significant sample of cancer survivors in the Netherlands have indicated that the internet is an important source of information regarding their illness. However, little change was evident over the past 15 years with regard to patients' priorities regarding their wishes for internet use. The wishes of users in 2005 were found to accurately reflect the internet use of the majority of patients in 2017. The results of the current study support the belief that health care professionals should expand their online services and tailor them toward the needs and wishes of their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creative people regulate their own attentional flexibility and focus in response to creative task demands in a way that favors the emergence of original and effective solutions. So far, not much is known about the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie such abilities. Here, the function of the locus coeruleus noradrenaline (LC-NA) system in creativity was explored using pupillometry. Two studies experimentally tested whether tonic pupil dilation (as a proxy for measuring tonic LC-NA activity) and phasic pupil dilation (as a proxy for measuring phasic LC-NA activity) predicted performance on divergent and convergent thinking using both psychometric (study 1) and real-world creativity tasks (study 2). During divergent thinking, it was consistently found that tonic pupil dilation predicted the generation of original ideas in both creativity tasks, and phasic pupil dilation predicted the generation of effective ideas only in the real-world creativity task. However, during convergent thinking, tonic and phasic pupil dilation did not predict creative task performance in both creativity tasks. Therefore, this study was the first to provide experimental evidence that suggests that tonic and phasic LC-NA activity differentially predict the generation of original and effective ideas during creative tasks that require divergent thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the major changes in internet use for health communication, the objective of the current study was to compare the internet use and wishes of cancer survivors between 2005 and 2017., Methods: The authors drew a sample of 390 patients in 2005 and 539 patients in 2017 who were diagnosed with breast (128 patients in 2005 and 143 patients in 2017), prostate (96 patients in 2005 and 126 patients in 2017), or gynecologic (89 patients in 2005 and 188 patients in 2017) cancer or lymphoma (77 patients in 2005 and 82 patients in 2017) in 4 different hospitals for the periods 2002 through 2004 and 2014 through 2016. These patients were sent a paper-based questionnaire that contained 45 questions regarding demographics and 4 functions of internet use: content, communication, community, and e-health., Results: The response in 2017 (53%) was lower than that in 2005 (75%). Survivors browsed the internet most frequently to search for information regarding cancer shortly after being diagnosed and while waiting for treatment. There was little change noted with regard to the relative importance attached to the various subjects. In 2017, significant increases were evident with regard to finances (+33%), health care insurance (+29%), and genetics and/or heritability (+27%). The wishes expressed in 2005 by patients were realized in part in 2017., Conclusions: A significant sample of cancer survivors in the Netherlands have indicated that the internet is an important source of information regarding their illness. However, little change was evident over the past 15 years with regard to patients' priorities regarding their wishes for internet use. The wishes of users in 2005 were found to accurately reflect the internet use of the majority of patients in 2017. The results of the current study support the belief that health care professionals should expand their online services and tailor them toward the needs and wishes of their patients., (© 2019 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society.)