Figure 4.

A holistic framework for creative thinking based on attention control

This framework is partially adapted from Khalil and Brüne.¹³ It comprises two systems—clustering and switching—that function through temporal modulation, affecting both fast and slow thinking while accounting for individual differences. Clustering, associated with fluency and originality, operates alongside switching, which engages the creativity pathways of flexibility. In this context, persistence is characterized by slower transitions, while rapid transitions indicate flexibility. The interplay between bottom-up and top-down processes reinforces this duality and corresponds with the dual systems of local and global attention. These systems, in turn, highlight the trade-offs between parallel modes: undirected and directed, spontaneous and deliberate, narrow and broad cognitive modes, and stimulus-driven and goal-directed approaches. Here, the extent of interaction between bottom-up and top-down mechanisms fosters dynamic competition among the DMN, VAN, CEN, and DAN, which underscores individual variability in these trade-offs. Overall, this dynamic signature may elucidate how the brain adjusts its resource allocation in response to environmental demands, as reflected in behaviors such as mind-wandering, daydreaming, mindfulness, and rumination. The acronyms of this illustration are DMN, the default mode network; VAN, the ventral attention network; CEN, the central executive network; and DAN, the dorsal attention network.