Implicit Theories

Abstract

The naive beliefs about creativity held by “lay people” (those who do not scientifically study creativity) are referred to as implicit theories. Implicit theories are as important as explicit theories (what is scientifically supported through research on creativity) because people make judgments of creativity, adjust expectations of creativity in themselves as well as others, and even make decisions to be creative corresponding to their implicit theories. This entry reviews the history of how implicit theories have been empirically studied from the 1960s to the present day, including what implicit theories look like, what factors affect how implicit theories are formulated, and how identifying and developing creativity are impacted by implicit theories. Then, discrepancies (defined as misconceptions) between implicit and explicit theories are reviewed. These are in part explained by the intricate nature of implicit theories. This is followed by reviewing differences in implicit theories across cultures. Next, various methods used for studying implicit theories are reviewed with a brief summary of the findings, which illustrate the strengths of each method. Finally, this entry is wrapped up by discussing three challenges and related opportunities for future research directions in implicit theories.