Is Visual Creativity Embodied? Thinking Aloud While Performing the Creative Mental Synthesis Task.

Massimiliano Palmiero,Laura Piccardi

doi:10.3390/brainsci10070455

Abstract

Over time, the view that creativity is embodied has emerged. In order to explore if visual creativity is supported by embodied mechanisms, the simulation approach was used as a framework of reference. The idea that visual creativity relies on mental representations that implement motor processes was faced. Participants were instructed to think aloud while carrying out the Creative Mental Synthesis Task, which allows to form pre-inventive structures and interpret them according to a specific category. Two independent judges scored verbal protocols in terms of the number of motor, spatial, and visual thoughts reported during the pre-inventive and inventive phases, and also evaluated the final objects according to originality and appropriateness. Originality was predicted positively by inventive motor thoughts and by pre-inventive spatial thoughts, but negatively by inventive spatial thoughts; appropriateness was only predicted by inventive visual thoughts. These results suggest that actions for future object utilization were simulated while interpreting pre-inventive structures, increasing originality of objects. In addition, spatial transformations are useful to construct the pre-inventive structures, but not to interpret them. Yet, thinking of the pictorial details of the object is also essential to classify it in a given category. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Highlights

Creativity is generally defined as the generation of original and appropriate ideas or products [1,2,3].It can involve surprise, which is a measure of how much new knowledge or expertise is acquired once the idea is created [4]
Two hierarchical regression analyses were carried out, one for each dependent variable: originality and appropriateness. For both analyses two blocks of independent variables were used, that is, frequencies of pre-motor, pre-spatial, and pre-visual thoughts computed for the pre-inventive phase, and frequencies of post-motor, post-spatial, and post-visual thoughts computed for the inventive phase
The extent to which visual creativity is embodied was explored in light of the simulation account, assuming that creativity relies on mental representation-based simulations that implement spatial and visual processing and motor processing

Summary

Introduction

Creativity is generally defined as the generation of original and appropriate ideas or products [1,2,3]. The framework of the simulation account was considered, based on the idea that visual creativity relies on mental representations that support an ongoing process that moves constantly backwards and forwards between generation of ideas, exploration, selection, and idea refinement [44] in accordance with internal abilities and external opportunities. This view is consistent with the Geneplore model of creative cognition [45,46], which underlines the key role of imagery [47,48,49], as an independent internal representation that supports the discovery of emergent structures and their possible functions. The explorative phase is situated, being determined by the ongoing interaction between the body and the object in a specific context

Participants

Materials and Procedure

Scoring Procedures

Statistical Analyses

Results

Discussion