Incubation optimizes the promoting effects of rewards on creativity: Creative incubation and rewards

: We tested the incubation effect on promoting problem-solving insight in a "test-incubation-retest" procedure in different groups receiving a reward notification (RN) before or after the incubation phase, or no RN. Only RN given before incubation significantly promoted creative performance, implying that incubation may help optimize the promoting effects of reward on creativity.