历史上许多经典的创造性想法产生的故事都提示我们，顿悟往往是在我们的思想处于较为游移（走神或白日梦）的状态下突然产生的，而非专注于问题思考的时候。但是目前对这一现象的实证研究仍然非常少。本研究采用数字减少任务（Number Reduction Task, NRT）作为顿悟问题，持续性注意保持任务（Sustained Attention Response Task, SART）作为酝酿期分心任务，并采用经验采样范式（experience sampling）直接探测酝酿期的心智游移活动，尝试探究心智游移与顿悟问题解决的酝酿效应之间的直接关系。研究一考察了酝酿期心智游移与创造性顿悟之间的关系，结果显示能够在酝酿期后对NRT任务的潜在规则形成顿悟的被试比那些未能产生顿悟的被试报告显著更多的酝酿期心智游移活动。进行二元Logstics回归分析后发现，被试的日常创造性倾向和酝酿期心智游移能够显著预测酝酿期后创造性顿悟的产生。研究二进一步探究了酝酿期心智游移与顿悟问题解决的酝酿效应产生的不同认知阶段间的关系。依据被试在NRT任务的前测（酝酿期前）阶段形成的对潜在规则的激活水平，将被试分成两组（前测无激活、前测内隐激活），再依据被试在NRT任务的后测（酝酿期后）阶段形成的对潜在规则的激活水平，将这两组被试分别再进一步分为三组（后测无激活、后测内隐激活和后测外显激活），总共6组被试。采用2（前测激活水平）×3（后测激活水平）两因素方差分析，结果发现：（1）相对于后测产生内隐激活的被试，后测能够对潜在规则产生外显激活（顿悟）的被试酝酿期心智游移活动显著更多；（2）后测能够产生内隐激活的被试的工作记忆容量显著低于后测无激活的被试；（3）在前测无激活的被试中，后测能够直接产生外显激活的被试的工作记忆容量显著高于后测只能产生内隐激活的被试；（4）后测能够产生外显激活的被试的日常创造性倾向显著高于后测内隐激活和无激活的被试。研究三采用单电极脑电仪测查了酝酿期的脑电活动情况，结果发现能够顿悟的被试酝酿期的i22值高于未顿悟的被试。i22值是反映大脑的整体放松水平的脑电指标，与alpha波百分比呈显著正相关。这些结果说明心智游移可能是有助于顿悟问题解决的酝酿效应产生的关键因素。心智游移可能更多地参与内隐激活向外显激活转换的过程，即顿悟问题解决的关键过程——表征转换。另外，个体较低的工作记忆容量反而是有利于创造性解答的内隐激活。然而，对潜在规则从前测无激活直接转换至后测外显激活则仍需要被试拥有更多的工作记忆资源。这可能与高工作记忆容量个体在完成酝酿期分心任务的同时仍然有足够的认知资源支持自发的指向内部的认知加工（心智游移）有关。这种能够将注意资源在内外部认知需求间进行灵活分配的认知加工模式可能更有助于创造性顿悟的产生。而这种认知加工模式可能与个体长期经验形成的创造性认知行为倾向紧密相关。最后，能够顿悟的被试相对于未顿悟的被试酝酿期的大脑注意力更为发散，处于更为放松的状态。

Although many anecdotes suggest that creative insights often arise during mind wandering, empirical research is still sparse. In this study, we used the number reduction task (NRT) as the insight problem. An experience sampling paradigm was used to provide an online measure of mind wandering while participants performed a sustained attention response task (SART). The main objective of this study was to investigate the direct association between mind wandering and insight problem solving. The first study aimed to assess whether insightful solutions were related to mind wandering during the incubation stage. The results showed that participants who gained insights of the hidden regularity in the NRT (or the “solvers”) reported significantly more mind wandering during incubation than those who did not gain insights (or the “non-solvers”). A binary logistics regression analysis revealed that mind wandering reported during incubation and participants’ overall creativity significantly predicted creative insights after incubation. The second study further investigated the association between mind wandering and the implicit and explicit activation of the hidden regularity in the NRT. An ANOVA with the between-participants factors NRT pre-test knowledge state (Pre_NoK/Pre_ImK) and post-test knowledge state (Post_NoK/Post_ImK/Post_ExK revealed that: (1) participants gained insights of the hidden regularity at NRT post-test (Post_ExK) reported significantly more mind wandering during incubation than those only gained implicit knowledge (Post_ImK). (2) The working memory capacity (WMC) of participants gained implicit knowledge (Post_ImK) was significantly lower than those gained no knowledge at all (Post_NoK）. (3) For those who gained no knowledge at pre-test (Pre_NoK), the working memory capacity of participants gained insights at post-test (Pre_NoKPost_ExK) was significantly higher than those only gained implicit knowledge (Pre_NoKPost_ImK). (4) Participants gained insights reported significantly higer overall creativity than those only gained implicit or no knowledge at all.Morover, EEG data were recorded during incubation. The solvers showed significantly higher i-22 (a brain index of mental relaxation; showed significant postivie correlation with the percentage of alpha waves) than the non-solvers. Taken together, we concluded that mind wandering during incubation may be the critical source of creative insights. Mind wandering, by restructuring appropriate memory representations, facilitates extraction of explicit knowledge across incubation. Individuals with higer working capacity who wander more while performing a simple task may be able to shift directly from no implicit knowledge to insights across incubation. At last, the EEG results indicated that at a less focused attention and more relax state of mind at incubation stage might be helpful to insight problem solving.