Distinguishing the three versions of the Chinese Remote Associates Test based on default mode network connectivity

The remote associates test (RAT) is an important tool to evaluate individuals’ creative thinking with compilation into multiple versions and languages. In Taiwan, the Chinese Remote Associates Test (CRAT) has been compiled at three different levels (Chinese radicals, characters, and words), namely the Chinese Radical Remote Associates Test (CRRAT), Chinese Word Remote Associates Test (CWRAT), and Chinese Compound Remote Associates Test (CCRAT). These three CRATs have good criterion-related validity. The human brain structure is closely related to the individuals’ creativity, and the most widely studied is the default mode network (DMN) in creativity research. This study aims to distinguish the measurement attributes of these three CRATs based on the typological properties of the DMN. Altogether 50 adults were recruited and answered the CRATs and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Brain images during the resting state and test administration were collected to analyze their performance on different CRATs and the relationship among the typological properties, functional connectivity, and nodal efficiency of the DMN. The research results showed that: (1) the CCRAT performance had a positive correlation with the global efficiency of the DMN, but a negative correlation with the characteristic path length; (2) the CRRAT performance was positively correlated with the functional connectivity of the temporoparietal junction and posterior inferior parietal lobe as well as with the connection efficiency of the temporoparietal junction; and (3) the CWRAT performance had no significant correlation with the typological properties of the DMN. This is one of the first studies revealing the differences in the three CRATs with validity evidence.