Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

This study examined electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in the upper alpha band during the generation of descriptions of abstract images to clarify the relationship between metaphor generation and creativity. Shape-based descriptions predominantly involved metaphorical expressions, indicating engagement of metaphor generation processes, whereas color-based descriptions were largely literal. Upper alpha activity during metaphor generation was compared with that during literal expression. Results showed reduced upper alpha power, particularly in posterior regions, during metaphor generation relative to literal expression. These findings suggest that metaphor generation for abstract images recruits enhanced visual and figural processing, reflecting activation of visual cognitive mechanisms underlying creative thinking.