The contribution of divergent and convergent thinking to visual creativity

Abstract

Studies have been conducted to investigate the components involved in generating creative outcomes. Divergent and convergent thinking are the most extensively studied components of this kind. There is evidence of important contributions of divergent thinking to creativity in artistic domains (e.g., writing, music, and visual art), but the role of convergent thinking remains unclear. This study aimed at comparing the relative contribution of divergent and convergent thinking to visual creativity. Participants worked through four tasks serving to assess divergent and convergent thinking, and a creative drawing task. Our SEM and mediation models characterized the relationship between the two creative thinking processes and visual creativity, and revealed a positive impact of both divergent and convergent thinking on visual creativity. Divergent thinking has a direct, facilitating impact on visual creativity, whereas convergent thinking predicts visual creativity through drawing skills, thus suggesting a more indirect, enabling role. Taken together, both divergent and convergent thinking are involved in producing creative visual drawings.