Dissecting Reliability and Validity Evidence of Subjective Creativity Assessment: A Literature Review

An observation of a negative effect of social cohesion on creativity in musical improvisation

Although various social factors can significantly impact creative performance, it is still unclear how social cohesion (i.e., how close we feel to others) influences creativity. We therefore conducted two studies exploring the association between social cohesion and creativity within the domain of musical improvisation, a prime example of creative performance, which usually plays out in social contexts. The first study (n = 58 musical novices) showed that music-induced synchrony facilitates social cohesion. In our second study (n = 18 musical novices), we found that in two out of three experimental conditions, increased social cohesion is associated with less creative musical outcomes, as rated by nine expert musicians. In our subsequent analysis we related measures of social cohesion and creativity. This approach highlights how, within a musical setting, creativity unfolds in the context of social contingencies as social cohesion and related factors.

Navigating the Spectrum of Conventionality: Toward a New Model of Creative Thinking

Current conceptualizations of creative thinking focus primarily on the measurement of creative thinking for the purpose of identifying creative thinking proficiency. We propose a conceptualization that includes a framework and assessments that focus on the measurement and learning of creative thinking and innovation skills. Our conceptualization involves an understanding that innovation is a critical application of creative thinking and that the process of creative thinking that leads to innovation can be performed intentionally and explicitly. In this paper, we put forth a process model for creative thinking and innovation that focuses on an expanded set of cognitive and social skills and processes that facilitate the navigation of the spectrum of conventionality. The process model includes the conventional thinking skill, which serves as not only a foundational skill for understanding and navigating the spectrum of conventionality, but also facilitates the reliable measurement of creative thinking and innovation by supporting the generation of a response pool that represents the full spectrum of conventionality for use in scoring. We explore the advantages of this model and how it addresses some of the challenges presented by current creative thinking conceptualizations and assessments. Finally, we explore the implications of implementing this process model for education.