Additional recruitment to the Doctoral School of Languages and Literatures beyond the limit of places

Project description:       

Can we differentiate neural signatures of creative idea generation and evaluation? Do individuals evaluate their own ideas and those of others differently? Does language differentially affect idea generation and evaluation in bilinguals? The project goal. Creativity is one of the most essential and sought after human skills. Creative solutions challenge ordinary thinking and pave the way for human innovation and progress. To be considered creative, a solution must be novel (unusual, unique) and useful (relevant, applicable). For instance, you could seal an envelope with a few drops of honey. By contrast, if a solution is novel but has no value, it is inadequate or even stupid: for instance, “I could seal an envelope with a few drops of oil”. Evaluating a solution as being useful or not is therefore critical when engaging creativity. It is surprising that we know so little about what happens when we spot a creative solution amongst ordinary ones. Neuroscientific research has focused on what happens when we come up with creative ideas and not so much on what happens when we evaluate them. In this project, we set out to identify the brain signatures associated with both creative idea generation and evaluation, and we investigatethe dynamic relationship between them. Because our world is largely bilingual, we further examine idea generation and evaluation in bilinguals to see if the language in which we think about a creative solution (the native or the second language) makes a significant difference for creative performance. These research aims will be tackled by a dedicated, interdisciplinary, and international team of researchers assembled specifically for this project.

Description of the research. We have designed six experiments. First, we will develop 300 miniproblems to solve (e.g. To fix a wobbly table, I can use [...]) and ask participants to come up with ordinary and creative solutions to these problems. Second, we will record EEG in participants reading mini-problems with ordinary, creative, or nonsensical solutions to identify brain signatures of creative idea evaluation. Third, we will record EEG when participants generate their single most creative solution to mini-problems, immediately followed by an alternate solution to that problem (produced by a group of individuals in the first experiment), to study the relationship between idea generation and idea evaluation. Fourth, participants will first generate multiple creative solutions to problems and then be presented with solutions that were either generated by them earlier or other solutions from the first experiment, testing for the first time the neural basis of self- vs. other-idea evaluation. Finally, in two experiments inspired from the two last experiments above, we will test if the language in which participants generate and evaluate creative solutions language (native Polish and second language English) influences creative production and, critically, creative evaluation in bilingual individuals.

Reasons for attempting this research. Because the ability to evaluate a creative solution is just as important as the ability to generate one, we need to better understand what happens when individuals perceive an idea as being creative or not and how idea generation interacts with idea evaluation.Further, because many problems of the world today require international, multi-lingual effort, it is timely to uncover possible effects of the language in which problems are solved on the creative process. Understanding of the relationship between idea generation and evaluation is very important given the key value of creativity in today’s society and exploring the influence of language on the creative process is equally important given the explosion of problems at the scale of the planet (climate change, banking systems, diplomatic ties and negotiations, etc.).

Substantial results expected. Our project will break new ground by unravelling, for the first time, the interplay between creative idea generation and evaluation, in the native and the second language. We expect our findings to have strong impact in the fast-expanding field of neuroscience of creativity. We believe that our project may also have important implications for everyday life in the future. Understanding creative problem-solving is crucial in today’s world, where complex and rapidly evolving challenges—such as pollution or global health crises—demand innovative and adaptable solutions. Understanding the role of language(s) in this process could lead to strategic advice and even policy making in international contexts where multilingualism is fast becoming the norm.

Principal investigator: dr Rafał Jończyk -   NCN 2024/54/E/HS6/00066

Recruitment 

Selection Committee

                          dr Rafał Jończyk – chairman

Schedule of  the Doctoral  School enrolment procedure: 

Recruitment fee

The recruitment fee is 75 EUR.

Form of the selection procedure

One stage procedure.

Language of the selection procedure, including interviews:

Polish or English language.  

Required documents:

Candidates applying based on exceptional academic achievements must include a scan of the following:  

1) For first-cycle graduates: the diploma and supplement. 

2) For students completing the third year of a unified master’s programme: a certificate indicating their academic average from years 1 to 3, along with a transcript. 

Candidates educated outside Poland must additionally submit: 

1)    A scan of a document certifying education – a diploma with a diploma supplement for first- and second-cycle studies (Bachelor’s, MSc, or MA degrees) in the original language; if the document is not in English, a copy of the diploma in English or Polish, or a certified translation of the diploma into English or Polish, shall also be provided;

2)    A scan of a diploma or certificate confirming knowledge of a modern foreign language at a level of at least B2;  

3)    A scan of a passport, in the case of foreign nationals.

 Evaluation criteria

1)   The grade obtained in second-cycle studies or a uniform master’s degree programme (no more than 3 points); the candidate shall receive:

a)      3 points for a grade of at least very good or equivalent;

b)      2 points for a grade of good plus or equivalent;

c)       1 point for a grade of good or equivalent;

d)      3 points in the case of candidates applying for admission on the basis of the highest quality of scientific achievements (e.g. leadership of a project under the “Pearls of Science” programme).

In the absence of a diploma grade, the average grade from the course of studies shall be taken into account.

2)   Points for maximum three documented scientific achievements, in accordance with the detailed criteria for the candidate’s achievements, attached during electronic registration in the IRK system; no more than 22 points may be awarded.

3)   Points for other documented activities, based on a maximum of three achievements, in accordance with the detailed criteria for the candidate’s achievements in a given discipline; no more than 5 points may be awarded.

4)    Points for a research project prepared for the purposes of admission, and in the case of admission conducted in connection with the implementation of a research project – an original concept for the implementation of a grant project (no more than 20 points), with particular emphasis on:

a)     the ability to formulate the research objective and present the research problem;

b)     the originality of the research idea and the ability to select an appropriate method for solving the research problem;

c)      methodology appropriate to the chosen discipline;

d)     knowledge of existing research, supported by a basic bibliography;

e)     the significance of the project for the development of the chosen discipline;

f)       risk analysis of research tasks.

5)    The result of the interview, the scope of which shall include:

a)    knowledge and competences appropriate to the chosen discipline;

b)    elements of research methodology appropriate to the chosen discipline.

No more than 50 points may be awarded for the interview, and the maximum duration of the interview shall be 30 minutes.

Detailed admission criteria 2026/2027

Condition of admission to the Doctoral School 

Education Program

Education at the doctoral school lasts 8 semesters. Education is conducted on the basis of a curriculum and an individual research plan, and concludes with the submission of a doctoral thesis. The doctoral school curriculum comprises a catalogue of compulsory, compulsory elective, and optional modules.    

Start of studies: 1 October 2026. 

Supervisors

A doctoral student works under the supervision of a supervisor or supervisors, or a supervisor and auxiliary supervisor, who will be appointed by the Deputy Rector at the request of a doctoral student (within 3 months of the start of his or her studies at the Doctoral School).

Scholarships

The doctoral scholarship amounts to PLN 5000 (gross-gross) per 24 months before the mid-term evaluation and PLN 6500 (gross-gross) per next 24 months after the mid-term evaluation.

The amount should be reduced by 11,26% due to ZUS (social insurance) contributions.

Rules of admission to doctoral schools of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań in the academic year 2026/2027, Appendix to Resolution No. 132/2025/2026 of UAM Senate of 26 January, 2026.