Yifan Wang

This study examined how stress affects creativity through cognitive flexibility and persistence, drawing on the dual-pathway model of creativity. Using a VR stress paradigm, stress was induced via a roller coaster scenario, and a campus scene served as the control. Sixty healthy participants were randomly assigned to stress (N = 30) or control (N = 30) groups. Five tasks simultaneously assessed cognitive flexibility, persistence, and creativity. Stress effects were evaluated via heart rate, electrodermal activity, and salivary cortisol. Results showed that the virtual roller coaster scenario effectively induced a stressful state. Stress reduced creativity and cognitive flexibility but increased cognitive persistence. Additionally, mediation analysis revealed that cognitive flexibility mediated the effect of stress on creativity, highlighting its key role in stress-induced creative impairments. This study extends the dual pathway to the creativity model under stress, offering a systematic framework to elucidate how stress shapes creative cognitive processing.

In 2023, artificial intelligence was announced as a “game changer”—marking a rapid revolution in thinking technologies. A global debate began to emerge. By conducting a discourse analysis of 2023 US congressional testimonies and AI manifestos, we aim to map the emergence of debates over the start-up of a global governance controversy. Qualitative topical identification and semantic network analysis are deployed to identify the primary stakeholders and their contesting arguments. The resulting polylog exhibits sharp divisions among multiple, distinct pro-tech and pro-rights groups. Pro-tech stakeholders emphasize innovation and economic benefits, while pro-rights groups prioritize human rights and safety. Our linguistic and semantic network analyses provide micro-level insights into the polylogue entanglements of ethics and governance. The analysis of US AI advocacy discourse furnishes a baseline of contestation from which the ongoing development of the complex arguments of AI policies can be identified and evaluated.