arXiv:2604.03480q-bio.NCcs.AI2026-04中稿 · COLM

大模型在创造性思维中与人脑活动更相似,且模型越大、越有创意,匹配度越高。

Large Language Models Align with the Human Brain during Creative Thinking

  • 用脑成像数据对比大模型与人脑在创意思维时的神经响应模式。
  • 模型越大、生成想法越新颖,与人脑默认模式网络的匹配度越高。
  • 训练目标影响对高创造力神经活动的模拟,适合研究认知机制的人看。

创造性思维是人类认知的核心,发散性思维——产生新颖多样想法的能力——被视为其主要驱动力。近期大型语言模型(LLMs)在发散性思维测试中表现出色,已有研究表明任务表现越高的模型,与人脑活动的相似性越高。然而,现有脑-模型对齐研究集中于被动、非创造性任务。本文利用170名参与者执行交替用途任务(AUT)的fMRI数据,提取不同规模(270M-72B)的LLM表示,通过表示相似性分析(RSA)测量其与创造力相关默认模式网络(DMN)和额顶网络(FPN)的对齐程度。结果发现:模型大小与默认模式网络的对齐呈正相关;想法原创性越高,两个网络的对齐也越高,且这种关系在创造过程初期最为显著。此外,后训练目标带来功能选择性差异:经过创意优化的Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct模型保持与高创造力神经反应的对齐,但不呈现低创造力下的正对齐;而推理训练的变体则表现出相反的不对称性,与高创造力反应呈负对齐。这些结果表明,脑-模型对齐为理解后训练如何塑造人类创造性思维的神经结构提供了新视角。

原文摘要 · Abstract (English)

Creative thinking is a fundamental aspect of human cognition, and divergent thinking-the capacity to generate novel and varied ideas-is widely regarded as its core generative engine. Large language models (LLMs) have recently demonstrated impressive performance on divergent thinking tests and prior work has shown that models with higher task performance tend to be more aligned to human brain activity. However, existing brain-LLM alignment studies have focused on passive, non-creative tasks. Here, we explore brain alignment during creative thinking using fMRI data from 170 participants performing the Alternate Uses Task (AUT). We extract representations from LLMs varying in size (270M-72B) and measure alignment to brain responses via Representational Similarity Analysis (RSA), targeting the creativity-related default mode and frontoparietal networks. We find that brain-LLM alignment is positively associated with model size (default mode network only) and with idea originality (both networks), with these relationships clearest early in the creative process. We further find that post-training objectives are associated with functionally selective differences in alignment: a creativity-optimized Llama-3.1-8B-Instruct retains alignment with high-creativity neural responses while lacking the positive low-creativity alignment present in other variants, but a reasoning-trained variant shows the opposite asymmetry, with negative alignment to high-creativity responses. Together, these results suggest that brain alignment offers an informative lens on how post-training relates to the neural geometry of human creative thought.

大模型脑机对齐创造力fMRI

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