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Khalil R, Demarin V. Creative therapy in health and disease: Inner vision. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14266. [PMID: 37305955 PMCID: PMC10915997 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Can we better understand the unique mechanisms of de novo abilities in light of our current knowledge of the psychological and neuroscientific literature on creativity? This review outlines the state-of-the-art in the neuroscience of creativity and points out crucial aspects that still demand further exploration, such as brain plasticity. The progressive development of current neuroscience research on creativity presents a multitude of prospects and potentials for furnishing efficacious therapy in the context of health and illness. Therefore, we discuss directions for future studies, identifying a focus on pinpointing the neglected beneficial practices for creative therapy. We emphasize the neglected neuroscience perspective of creativity on health and disease and how creative therapy could offer limitless possibilities to improve our well-being and give hope to patients with neurodegenerative diseases to compensate for their brain injuries and cognitive impairments by expressing their hidden creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radwa Khalil
- School of Business, Social and Decision SciencesConstructor UniversityBremenGermany
| | - Vida Demarin
- International Institute for Brain HealthZagrebCroatia
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2
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Khalil R, Agnoli S, Mastria S, Kondinska A, Karim AA, Godde B. Individual differences and creative ideation: neuromodulatory signatures of mindset and response inhibition. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1238165. [PMID: 38125402 PMCID: PMC10731982 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1238165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This study addresses the modulatory role of individual mindset in explaining the relationship between response inhibition (RI) and divergent thinking (DT) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Forty undergraduate students (22 male and 18 female), aged between 18 and 23 years (average age = 19 years, SD = 1.48), were recruited. Participants received either anodal tDCS of the right IFG coupled with cathodal tDCS of the left IFG (R + L-; N = 19) or the opposite coupling (R-L+; N = 21). We tested DT performance using the alternative uses task (AUT), measuring participants' fluency, originality, and flexibility in the response production, as well as participants' mindsets. Furthermore, we applied a go-no-go task to examine the role of RI before and after stimulating the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) using tDCS. The results showed that the mindset levels acted as moderators on stimulation conditions and enhanced RI on AUT fluency and flexibility but not originality. Intriguingly, growth mindsets have opposite moderating effects on the change in DT, resulting from the tDCS stimulation of the left and the right IFG, with reduced fluency but enhanced flexibility. Our findings imply that understanding neural modulatory signatures of ideational processes with tDCS strongly benefits from evaluating cognitive status and control functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radwa Khalil
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
| | - Sergio Agnoli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Marconi Institute for Creativity, Sasso Marconi, Italy
| | - Serena Mastria
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Angela Kondinska
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
| | - Ahmed A. Karim
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Health Psychology and Neurorehabilitation, SRH Mobile University, Riedlingen, Germany
| | - Ben Godde
- School of Business, Social and Decision Sciences, Constructor University, Bremen, Germany
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3
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Miroshnik KG, Forthmann B, Karwowski M, Benedek M. The relationship of divergent thinking with broad retrieval ability and processing speed: A meta-analysis. INTELLIGENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2023.101739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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4
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Li W, Zhang S, Lin H, Zhang K, Zhang X, Chen J, Xu F, Liu C. Childhood Maltreatment and Creativity among Chinese College Students: A Serial Mediation Model. J Intell 2023; 11:jintelligence11040058. [PMID: 37103243 PMCID: PMC10147018 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11040058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Creativity plays a very crucial impact on our cultural life and has also been important to the improvement of human civilization. Numerous studies have indicated that family circumstance plays an important role in the development of individual creativity. However, little is known about the mediating mechanisms underlying the association between childhood maltreatment and creativity. This study intended to explore the serial multiple mediation model in which undergraduates' cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy were proposed to mediate the potential influence of childhood maltreatment on their creativity. Participants were 1069 undergraduates (573 males and 496 females, mean age was 20.57 ± 1.24 years ranging from 17 to 24) from a university in Shandong Province, China. Participants were required to complete an internet survey including the Short Form of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and Williams Creativity Aptitude Test (WCAT). Serial multiple mediation analysis and the bootstrap method were used to investigate the mediation effects of cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy. The results showed that childhood maltreatment indirectly influenced undergraduates' creativity through three indirect paths: childhood maltreatment→cognitive flexibility→creativity, childhood maltreatment→self-efficacy→creativity, and childhood maltreatment→cognitive flexibility→self-efficacy→creativity. The ratios of the total indirect effects and branch-indirect effects to the total effects were 92.73%, 34.61%, 35.68%, and 22.44%, respectively. These results indicated that cognitive flexibility and self-efficacy could completely mediate the potential impact of childhood maltreatment on individuals creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfu Li
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Shuai Zhang
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Hao Lin
- College of Chinese and Western Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Keke Zhang
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Xiaolong Zhang
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Jingting Chen
- Labor Union, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Fangfang Xu
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
| | - Chuanxin Liu
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining 272067, China
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5
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Li H, Du X, Ma H, Wang Z, Li Y, Wu J. The Effect of Virtual-Reality-Based Restorative Environments on Creativity. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12083. [PMID: 36231385 PMCID: PMC9565044 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This study, based on the theory of restorative environmental, uses virtual reality (VR) technology to construct interactive restorative environments and discusses the influence of the experience of virtual restorative environment on individual creativity. A total of 72 college students were selected as participants in the study. Through psychological scales, three creativity tests, and EEG feedback data, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The VR restorative environment experience improves individual creativity, especially the creative quality of cohesion; (2) the experience of the VR restorative environment enables participants to experience a desirable sense of presence. Compared with the restorative scene experience without interactive activities, the addition of interactive activities improves the individual sensory fidelity to a greater extent. (3) We cannot simply assume that the experience of the VR restorative environment with interactive activities will make individual creative performance better than non-interactive experience. Interaction with certain difficulty will increase cognitive load, thus disrupting individual creative performance. Garden scenes that can be explored freely and have no interaction can better promote individual creativity. (4) In the environmental experience, participants paid greater attention to natural elements, and the restorative environment they described was very similar to the environment they believed could foster creativity. This study's results provide evidence for the positive effects of the VR restorative environment experience on individuals and contributes to the cognitive exploration of the interaction between restorative environments and individuals in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongqidi Li
- Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Xueyan Du
- Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Huirui Ma
- Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhimeng Wang
- Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Yue Li
- Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Jianping Wu
- Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
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6
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Liu W, Dempo A, Kimura T, Kawashima T, Shinohara K. Effects of the presence of a cell phone and exposure to natural environments on remote associates task performance. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9507. [PMID: 35681033 PMCID: PMC9184559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13634-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In today's advanced information society, creativity in work is highly valued, and there is growing interest in the kinds of work environments that produce more creative outcomes. Recent researchers have demonstrated that when environmental factors change a worker's attentional state to a diffused state, the worker has access to more information than usual, which can contribute to creativity. Here, we examined whether manipulating environmental factors (the presence of a cell phone and exposure to natural environment) that could affect such attention states would improve performance on the Remote Associates Task, a measure of creativity. Our results showed that the presence of a cell phone increased creative performance regardless of immersion in natural environment. In contrast, exposure to nature did not facilitate creative performance; instead, feelings of pleasure increased, and frustration decreased. These results suggest that the presence of a cell phone can enhance creativity by influencing workers' attentional states. The current study provides a meaningful approach to enhancing creativity by modulating attentional states through environmental factors. It also highlights the essential features of environmental factors that can moderate creative abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Liu
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Akihiko Dempo
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tsukasa Kimura
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomoya Kawashima
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kazumitsu Shinohara
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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7
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Jones P. Mindfulness and Nondual Well-Being – What is the Evidence that We Can Stay Happy? REVIEW OF GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/10892680221093013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Research into subjective well-being (SWB) focuses on conducive life conditions, healthy cognitive-affective processes and adaptive behaviours, however, in this model, well-being fluctuates based on changing mental and physical phenomena. This inquiry explores the possibility that we can have a nondual experience of well-being that is unaffected by such movements and investigates if the literature supports this. The assertion in traditional mindfulness that the sense of self is constructed and responsible for such fluctuations is explored, along with what evidence there is that mindfulness practices deliver relevant cognitive and behavioural correlates associated with such a way of being. Proposed preconditions include (a) nondual awareness or the perception of no-self; (b) increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and increased self-lessness; (c) increased capacity to maintain (or protect) well-being including heightened emotional self-regulation and resilience to aversive stimuli. Research findings provide some evidence that the sense of self can be both constructed and deconstructed, and that mindfulness training may target psychological dimensions that could contribute to an experience of well-being that transcends the impact of life conditions. Recommendations are made for a collaborative relationship between SWB research and mindfulness to expand the inquiry into possible causes and conditions of ‘nondual well-being’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jones
- College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education (SHEE), Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia
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8
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Gao Z, Guo Y, Wei H. Zhongyong thinking mediates the relationship between leader–member exchange and employee creativity. SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY 2022. [DOI: 10.2224/sbp.11514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
In this study we added to the literature on leader–member exchange (LMX) and employee creativity by focusing on the mediating role of Zhongyong thinking in this relationship. We collected data from 295 employees at a state-owned manufacturing company in China, using a paper-and-pencil
survey. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses. Results show that both LMX and Zhongyong thinking were positively related to employee creativity, and Zhongyong thinking partially mediated this relationship. Our findings show the importance of both LMX and Zhongyong
thinking in facilitating employee creativity, and provide a practical guide to enhance employee creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengbo Gao
- School of Marxism, Lanzhou University, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanbo Guo
- School of Marxism, Hunan University of Finance and Economics, People's Republic of China
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9
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Palmiero M, Fusi G, Crepaldi M, Borsa VM, Rusconi ML. Divergent thinking and the core executive functions: a state-of-the-art review. Cogn Process 2022; 23:341-366. [DOI: 10.1007/s10339-022-01091-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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10
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Gubenko A, Kirsch C, Smilek JN, Lubart T, Houssemand C. Educational Robotics and Robot Creativity: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:662030. [PMID: 34222352 PMCID: PMC8241918 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.662030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a growing literature concerning robotics and creativity. Although some authors claim that robotics in classrooms may be a promising new tool to address the creativity crisis in school, we often face a lack of theoretical development of the concept of creativity and the mechanisms involved. In this article, we will first provide an overview of existing research using educational robotics to foster creativity. We show that in this line of work the exact mechanisms promoted by robotics activities are rarely discussed. We use a confluence model of creativity to account for the positive effect of designing and coding robots on students' creative output. We focus on the cognitive components of the process of constructing and programming robots within the context of existing models of creative cognition. We address as well the question of the role of meta-reasoning and emergent strategies in the creative process. Then, in the second part of the article, we discuss how the notion of creativity applies to robots themselves in terms of the creative processes that can be embodied in these artificial agents. Ultimately, we argue that considering how robots and humans deal with novelty and solve open-ended tasks could help us to understand better some aspects of the essence of creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alla Gubenko
- Departement of Education and Social Work, Institute for Lifelong Learning and Guidance, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Christiane Kirsch
- Departement of Education and Social Work, Institute for Lifelong Learning and Guidance, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Jan Nicola Smilek
- Departement of Education and Social Work, Institute for Lifelong Learning and Guidance, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Todd Lubart
- Université de Paris et Université Gustave Eiffel, LaPEA, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
| | - Claude Houssemand
- Departement of Education and Social Work, Institute for Lifelong Learning and Guidance, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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11
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Liang Y, Zheng H, Cheng J, Zhou Y, Liu Z. Associations between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Creative Thinking, and Trait Resilience among Chinese Adolescents Exposed to the Lushan Earthquake. JOURNAL OF CREATIVE BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jocb.460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yiming Liang
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Hao Zheng
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | | | - Yueyue Zhou
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Zhengkui Liu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
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12
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Forthmann B, Lips C, Szardenings C, Scharfen J, Holling H. Are Speedy Brains Needed when Divergent Thinking is Speeded—or Unspeeded? JOURNAL OF CREATIVE BEHAVIOR 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jocb.350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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13
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Industriousness Moderates the Link Between Default Mode Network Subsystem and Creativity. Neuroscience 2020; 427:92-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.11.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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14
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Ten W, Tseng CC, Chiang YS, Wu CL, Chen HC. Creativity in children with ADHD: Effects of medication and comparisons with normal peers. Psychiatry Res 2020; 284:112680. [PMID: 31806402 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study is to identify the performance of children with and without ADHD in open-ended and closed-ended creativity assessments, and investigate the moderating effect of medicated and unmedicated Children. The study subjects included third to sixth graders: 43 children with ADHD and 43 typically developing children. The participants with ADHD were those who were identified by local Committees of Identification, Placement and Consultation for Children with Special Needs or those who were diagnosed by medical institutions. Children with ADHD were further divided into medicated (22 participants) and unmedicated groups (21 participants) based on their current medication treatment. This study employed the New Tests of Creative Thinking to gauge the participants' open-ended creativity, while Remote Associates Test and the Insight Test were used to assess the participants' closed-ended creativity. Although previous evidence for creativity in children with ADHD have been mixed, this study includes medication as moderation variable and suggests that the performance of unmedicated children with ADHD in the open-ended creativity assessments was better than medicated children with ADHD and typically developing children. The study results can further explore the creativity characteristics of children with ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Ten
- Xing De Elementary School, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Chien-Chih Tseng
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Shu Chiang
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Lin Wu
- Program of Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsueh-Chih Chen
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Chinese Language and Technology Center, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; MOST AI Biomedical Research Center.
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15
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Forthmann B, Jendryczko D, Scharfen J, Kleinkorres R, Benedek M, Holling H. Creative ideation, broad retrieval ability, and processing speed: A confirmatory study of nested cognitive abilities. INTELLIGENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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16
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Barbot B. The Dynamics of Creative Ideation: Introducing a New Assessment Paradigm. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2529. [PMID: 30618952 PMCID: PMC6297799 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite six decades of creative cognition research, measures of creative ideation have heavily relied on divergent thinking tasks, which still suffer from conceptual, design, and psychometric shortcomings. These shortcomings have greatly impeded the accurate study of creative ideation, its dynamics, development, and integration as part of a comprehensive psychological assessment. After a brief overview of the historical and current anchoring of creative ideation measurement, overlooked challenges in its most common operationalization (i.e., divergent thinking tasks framework) are discussed. They include (1) the reliance on a single stimulus as a starting point of the creative ideation process (stimulus-dependency), (2) the analysis of response quality based on a varying number of observations across test-takers (fluency-dependency), and (3) the production of "static" cumulative performance indicators. Inspired from an emerging line of work from the field of cognitive neuroscience of creativity, this paper introduces a new assessment framework referred to as "Multi-Trial Creative Ideation" (MTCI). This framework shifts the current measurement paradigm by (1) offering a variety of stimuli presented in a well-defined set of ideation "trials," (2) reinterprets the concept of ideational fluency using a time-analysis of idea generation, and (3) captures individual dynamics in the ideation process (e.g., modeling the effort-time required to reach a response of maximal uncommonness) while controlling for stimulus-specific sources of variation. Advantages of the MTCI framework over the classic divergent thinking paradigm are discussed in light of current directions in the field of creativity research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Barbot
- Department of Psychology, Pace University, New York City, NY, United States.,Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
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17
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Lin H, Vartanian O. A Neuroeconomic Framework for Creative Cognition. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2018; 13:655-677. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691618794945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Neuroeconomics is the study of the neurobiological bases of subjective preferences and choices. We present a novel framework that synthesizes findings from the literatures on neuroeconomics and creativity to provide a neurobiological description of creative cognition. We propose that value-based decision-making processes and activity in the locus ceruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) neuromodulatory system underlie creative cognition, as well as the large-scale brain network dynamics shown to be associated with creativity. This reconceptualization leads to several falsifiable hypotheses that can further understanding of creativity, decision making, and brain network dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hause Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
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18
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Marron TR, Lerner Y, Berant E, Kinreich S, Shapira-Lichter I, Hendler T, Faust M. Chain free association, creativity, and the default mode network. Neuropsychologia 2018; 118:40-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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19
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Differences in cognitive inhibition between persons with high and low creativity: Evidences from behavioral and physiological studies. ACTA PSYCHOLOGICA SINICA 2018. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1041.2018.01197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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20
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Friis-Olivarius M, Hulme OJ, Skov M, Ramsøy TZ, Siebner HR. Imaging the Creative Unconscious: Reflexive Neural Responses to Objects in the Visual and Parahippocampal Region Predicts State and Trait Creativity. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14420. [PMID: 29089567 PMCID: PMC5663854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14729-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
What does it take to have a creative mind? Theories of creative cognition assert that the quantity of automatic associations places fundamental constraints on the probability of reaching creative solutions. Due to the difficulties inherent in isolating automated associative responses from cognitive control, the neural basis underlying this faculty remains unknown. Here we acquired fMRI data in an incidental-viewing paradigm in which subjects performed an attention-demanding task whilst viewing task-irrelevant objects. By assigning a standard creativity task on the same objects out of the scanner, as well as a battery of psychometric creativity tests, we could assess whether stimulus-bound neural activity was predictive of state or trait variability in creativity. We found that stimulus-bound responses in superior occipital regions were linearly predictive of trial-by-trial variability in creative performance (state-creativity), and that in more creative individuals (trait-creativity) this response was more strongly expressed in entorhinal cortex. Additionally, the mean response to the onset of objects in parahippocampal gyrus was predictive of trait differences in creativity. This work suggests that, creative individuals are endowed with occipital and medial temporal reflexes that generate a greater fluency in associative representations, making them more accessible for ideation even when no ideation is explicitly called for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten Friis-Olivarius
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, DK-2650, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Center for Decision Neuroscience, Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, DK-2000, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Copenhagen Institute of NeuroCreativity, DK-2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Oliver J Hulme
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, DK-2650, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Skov
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, DK-2650, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Decision Neuroscience, Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, DK-2000, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Z Ramsøy
- Center for Decision Neuroscience, Department of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, DK-2000, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Behavioral Innovation, DK-4300, Holbæk, Denmark.,Singularity University, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, United States
| | - Hartwig R Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, DK-2650, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, DK-2400, Copenhagen, Denmark
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21
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Zhou Y, Zhang Y, Hommel B, Zhang H. The Impact of Bodily States on Divergent Thinking: Evidence for a Control-Depletion Account. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1546. [PMID: 29033862 PMCID: PMC5626876 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Given previous evidence that bodily states can impact basic cognitive processes, we asked whether such impact can also be demonstrated for creative cognition. In particular, we had participants perform a design improvement task and a consequences imagination task while standing up, walking in a predetermined pattern, or walking freely. Results show better divergent-thinking performance with unconstrained than with constrained walking, and better performance for walking than for standing. A second experiment assessed performance in an alternative uses task and a figural combination task while participants were lying, sitting, or standing. Results showed better performance when standing up than when lying or sitting. Taken altogether, these observations provide evidence for an approach in terms of cognitive-control depletion: the more a bodily activity exhausts control resources, the better divergent thinking can unfold, presumably because reduced top-down control brings more ideas into play.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyun Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yifei Zhang
- Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Bernhard Hommel
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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22
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Abstract
The field of mindfulness and the emerging science of heroism have a common interest in the causes and conditions of selfless altruism though up to this point there has been little cross-pollination. However, there is increasing evidence that mindfulness training delivers heroically relevant qualities such as increased attentional functioning, enhanced primary sensory awareness, greater conflict monitoring, increased cognitive control, reduced fear response, and an increase in loving kindness and self-sacrificing behaviors. Predicated on the notion of a “no self,” traditional mindfulness and its focus on enlightenment and selfless service may in fact be ideally suited to the development of the elusive “trait” (predictable) versus “state” (intermittent) heroic character. Interweaving observations and questions drawn from the science of heroism, the article explores the relevant theory, practices, and scientific outcomes of mindfulness. It finds that there is evidence that heroically relevant qualities are trainable with the suite of mindfulness techniques and that an enduring experience of selflessness and service of others (the enlightened hero) may well be within the grasp of the serious practitioner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Jones
- Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
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23
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De Pisapia N, Bacci F, Parrott D, Melcher D. Brain networks for visual creativity: a functional connectivity study of planning a visual artwork. Sci Rep 2016; 6:39185. [PMID: 27991592 PMCID: PMC5171814 DOI: 10.1038/srep39185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Throughout recorded history, and across cultures, humans have made visual art. In recent years, the neural bases of creativity, including artistic creativity, have become a topic of interest. In this study we investigated the neural bases of the visual creative process with both professional artists and a group of control participants. We tested the idea that creativity (planning an artwork) would influence the functional connectivity between regions involved in the default mode network (DMN), implicated in divergent thinking and generating novel ideas, and the executive control network (EN), implicated in evaluating and selecting ideas. We measured functional connectivity with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during three different conditions: rest, visual imagery of the alphabet and planning an artwork to be executed immediately after the scanning session. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found stronger connectivity between areas of the DMN and EN during the creative task, and this difference was enhanced in professional artists. These findings suggest that creativity involves an expert balance of two brain networks typically viewed as being in opposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola De Pisapia
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy.,Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto (TN), Italy
| | - Francesca Bacci
- Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto (Mart), Rovereto, Italy.,Department of Art, University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Danielle Parrott
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy
| | - David Melcher
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy
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24
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Dorfman L, Gassimova V. Divergent thinking and differential focusing of perceptual attention in visual serial search tasks. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2015.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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25
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Cao Z, Li Y, Hitchman G, Qiu J, Zhang Q. Neural correlates underlying insight problem solving: Evidence from EEG alpha oscillations. Exp Brain Res 2015; 233:2497-506. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-015-4338-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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26
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Edl S, Benedek M, Papousek I, Weiss EM, Fink A. Creativity and the Stroop interference effect. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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27
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Carson S. Leveraging the "mad genius" debate: why we need a neuroscience of creativity and psychopathology. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:771. [PMID: 25324762 PMCID: PMC4179620 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shelley Carson
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University Cambridge, MA, USA
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28
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Benedek M, Jauk E, Sommer M, Arendasy M, Neubauer AC. Intelligence, creativity, and cognitive control: The common and differential involvement of executive functions in intelligence and creativity. INTELLIGENCE 2014; 46:73-83. [PMID: 25278640 PMCID: PMC4175011 DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2014.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Intelligence and creativity are known to be correlated constructs suggesting that they share a common cognitive basis. The present study assessed three specific executive abilities – updating, shifting, and inhibition – and examined their common and differential relations to fluid intelligence and creativity (i.e., divergent thinking ability) within a latent variable model approach. Additionally, it was tested whether the correlation of fluid intelligence and creativity can be explained by a common executive involvement. As expected, fluid intelligence was strongly predicted by updating, but not by shifting or inhibition. Creativity was predicted by updating and inhibition, but not by shifting. Moreover, updating (and the personality factor openness) was found to explain a relevant part of the shared variance between intelligence and creativity. The findings provide direct support for the executive involvement in creative thought and shed further light on the functional relationship between intelligence and creativity. Latent variable analysis relating executive functions, intelligence and creativity Intelligence is predicted by updating, but not inhibition or shifting ability. Creativity is predicted by updating and inhibition, but not shifting ability. Updating explains a relevant part of the intelligence–creativity relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emanuel Jauk
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
| | - Markus Sommer
- Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Austria
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29
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de Souza LC, Guimarães HC, Teixeira AL, Caramelli P, Levy R, Dubois B, Volle E. Frontal lobe neurology and the creative mind. Front Psychol 2014; 5:761. [PMID: 25101029 PMCID: PMC4107958 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Concepts from cognitive neuroscience strongly suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a crucial role in the cognitive functions necessary for creative thinking. Functional imaging studies have repeatedly demonstrated the involvement of PFC in creativity tasks. Patient studies have demonstrated that frontal damage due to focal lesions or neurodegenerative diseases are associated with impairments in various creativity tasks. However, against all odds, a series of clinical observations has reported the facilitation of artistic production in patients with neurodegenerative diseases affecting PFC, such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD). An exacerbation of creativity in frontal diseases would challenge neuroimaging findings in controls and patients, as well as the theoretical role of prefrontal functions in creativity processes. To explore this paradox, we reported the history of a FTD patient who exhibited the emergence of visual artistic productions during the course of the disease. The patient produced a large amount of drawings, which have been evaluated by a group of professional artists who were blind to the diagnosis. We also reviewed the published clinical cases reporting a change in the artistic abilities in patients with neurological diseases. We attempted to reconcile these clinical observations to previous experimental findings by addressing several questions raised by our review. For instance, to what extent can the cognitive, conative, and affective changes following frontal damage explain changes in artistic abilities? Does artistic exacerbation truly reflect increased creative capacities? These considerations could help to clarify the place of creativity—as it has been defined and explored by cognitive neuroscience—in artistic creation and may provide leads for future lesion studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo C de Souza
- Neuropsychiatric Branch, Neurology Division, University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Henrique C Guimarães
- Neuropsychiatric Branch, Neurology Division, University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Antônio L Teixeira
- Neuropsychiatric Branch, Neurology Division, University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Paulo Caramelli
- Neuropsychiatric Branch, Neurology Division, University Hospital, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Richard Levy
- Inserm, U 1127, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; CNRS, UMR 7225, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR S 1127 Paris, France ; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Service de Neurologie Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dubois
- Inserm, U 1127, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; CNRS, UMR 7225, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR S 1127 Paris, France ; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; AP-HP, Hôpital de la Salpétrière, Neurology Department, Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Volle
- Inserm, U 1127, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; CNRS, UMR 7225, ICM Frontlab Paris, France ; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR S 1127 Paris, France ; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, ICM Frontlab Paris, France
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30
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31
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Sowden PT, Pringle A, Gabora L. The shifting sands of creative thinking: Connections to dual-process theory. THINKING & REASONING 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/13546783.2014.885464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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32
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Wei D, Yang J, Li W, Wang K, Zhang Q, Qiu J. Increased resting functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex in creativity by means of cognitive stimulation. Cortex 2014; 51:92-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Revised: 08/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/13/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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33
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Differential effects of cognitive inhibition and intelligence on creativity. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2012; 53-334:480-485. [PMID: 22945970 PMCID: PMC3387381 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2012.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2011] [Revised: 04/05/2012] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There are different conceptions about how cognitive inhibition is related to creativity. Creativity has either been associated with effective inhibition, or with disinhibition, or with an adaptive engagement of inhibition. In this study, we examined the relationship of cognitive inhibition, assessed by means of the random motor generation task, with different measures of creativity. We also analyzed whether this relation is mediated by intelligence. We generally found a positive correlation of inhibition and creativity measures. Moreover, latent variable analyses indicate that inhibition may primarily promote the fluency of ideas, whereas intelligence specifically promotes the originality of ideas. These findings support the notion that creative thought involves executive processes and may help to better understand the differential role of inhibition and intelligence in creativity.
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34
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Ellamil M, Dobson C, Beeman M, Christoff K. Evaluative and generative modes of thought during the creative process. Neuroimage 2011; 59:1783-94. [PMID: 21854855 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2011] [Revised: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychological theories have suggested that creativity involves a twofold process characterized by a generative component facilitating the production of novel ideas and an evaluative component enabling the assessment of their usefulness. The present study employed a novel fMRI paradigm designed to distinguish between these two components at the neural level. Participants designed book cover illustrations while alternating between the generation and evaluation of ideas. The use of an fMRI-compatible drawing tablet allowed for a more natural drawing and creative environment. Creative generation was associated with preferential recruitment of medial temporal lobe regions, while creative evaluation was associated with joint recruitment of executive and default network regions and activation of the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex, insula, and temporopolar cortex. Executive and default regions showed positive functional connectivity throughout task performance. These findings suggest that the medial temporal lobe may be central to the generation of novel ideas and creative evaluation may extend beyond deliberate analytical processes supported by executive brain regions to include more spontaneous affective and visceroceptive evaluative processes supported by default and limbic regions. Thus, creative thinking appears to recruit a unique configuration of neural processes not typically used together during traditional problem solving tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Ellamil
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.
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35
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Kaufman JC, Kaufman SB, Lichtenberger EO. Finding Creative Potential on Intelligence Tests via Divergent Production. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1177/0829573511406511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Assessing creative potential using a comprehensive battery of standardized tests requires a focus on how and why an individual responds in addition to how well they respond. Using the “intelligent testing” philosophy of focusing on the person being tested rather than the measure itself helps psychologists form a more complete picture of an examinee, which may include information about his or her creative potential. Although most aspects of creativity are not present in current individually based IQ and achievement tests, one exception is divergent production. Although still poorly represented, some subtests show great potential for tapping into divergent production, and hence provide some insight into creativity. The research on the relationship between measures of intelligence and creativity is discussed in this article. The authors also propose a way to use individually administered cognitive and achievement batteries to extract information about an individual’s divergent production and general creative potential.
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36
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de Manzano O, Cervenka S, Karabanov A, Farde L, Ullén F. Thinking outside a less intact box: thalamic dopamine D2 receptor densities are negatively related to psychometric creativity in healthy individuals. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10670. [PMID: 20498850 PMCID: PMC2871784 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2010] [Accepted: 04/11/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Several lines of evidence support that dopaminergic neurotransmission plays a role in creative thought and behavior. Here, we investigated the relationship between creative ability and dopamine D2 receptor expression in healthy individuals, with a focus on regions where aberrations in dopaminergic function have previously been associated with psychotic symptoms and a genetic liability to schizophrenia. Scores on divergent thinking tests (Inventiveness battery, Berliner Intelligenz Struktur Test) were correlated with regional D2 receptor densities, as measured by Positron Emission Tomography, and the radioligands [11C]raclopride and [11C]FLB 457. The results show a negative correlation between divergent thinking scores and D2 density in the thalamus, also when controlling for age and general cognitive ability. Hence, the results demonstrate that the D2 receptor system, and specifically thalamic function, is important for creative performance, and may be one crucial link between creativity and psychopathology. We suggest that decreased D2 receptor densities in the thalamus lower thalamic gating thresholds, thus increasing thalamocortical information flow. In healthy individuals, who do not suffer from the detrimental effects of psychiatric disease, this may increase performance on divergent thinking tests. In combination with the cognitive functions of higher order cortical networks, this could constitute a basis for the generative and selective processes that underlie real life creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orjan de Manzano
- Neuropediatric Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health and Stockholm Brain Institute, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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