Divergent Creativity Research Articles

Creativity in Motion: How a Single Aerobic Exercise Session Affects Divergent Creative Thinking

ABSTRACT Creativity, a key cognitive process for innovation, involves generating novel and valuable ideas. While aerobic exercise is linked to cognitive benefits, its effects on creative thinking remain unclear. Evidence suggests that both single and consecutive exercise sessions may enhance creative thinking, yet the optimal intensity and timing of exercise for benefiting creative thinking have not been fully explored. This study examined whether a 20 minute moderate-to-vigorous cycle session influences divergent creative thinking, and how timing of assessment affects performance. Fifty-one young adults completed Guilford’s Alternate Uses Task (AUT) under three conditions: post-exercise, during exercise, or control (after watching an exercise video). AUT performance was measured by fluency (number of ideas), validity (practicality of ideas), flexibility (number of categories), and originality (creativity ratings on a 1–5 scale). No significant differences between the control and post-exercise groups were found. However, those assessed during exercise showed lower originality, fluency, and validity, likely due to dual-task interference. These findings suggest that a 20 minute aerobic session does not enhance creativity and may hinder it when assessed during exercise. The study highlights the need for further research to clarify how exercise intensity, duration, and timing impact creative thinking to optimize potential cognitive benefits.

The effect of light directionality on creative performance and subjective sleepiness in the early afternoon

The appropriate lighting conditions support concentration, cognitive performance and overall well-being. While this is especially true for daylight, many meeting rooms and co-working areas are in windowless, core areas of the buildings, making carefully designed artificial lighting even more critical. The spatial distribution of light has been documented to affect alertness and cognitive performance in simple tasks. However, its effect on more complex, creative challenges is largely unresearched. In this study, two distinct lighting conditions were tested in a simulated meeting room. The conditions represented either upper- or side-dominant lighting with a constant irradiance of 305 lx melanopic EDI at the eye level of participants. In a within-subject design, 35 participants completed a 2-h protocol involving tasks assessing various aspects of creative thinking (divergent, convergent and mental rotation), subjective sleepiness, room appraisal and mood. Results showed that side lighting significantly improved performance on the divergent creativity task but also led to increased subjective sleepiness over time. Conversely, upper lighting maintained stable sleepiness levels throughout the protocol. No significant effects were found for other dependent variables. Additionally, covariate analysis revealed a significant correlation between increased performance in creative tasks and extended time spent under daylight (indoors) prior to the experiment.

Heart Rate Variability Prediction of Stimulant-Induced Creativity Gains in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Background/Objectives: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a highly prevalent condition etiologically related to suboptimal levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) that is typically treated with psychostimulant medication. In individuals with ADHD, divergent thinking abilities have been shown to improve with the use of psychostimulants. Furthermore, psychostimulants affect autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning, which can impact creative cognition. However, it is not known how DA and NE affect creative cognition in this setting and how this effect is related to autonomic activity in ADHD. Therefore, our objective was to elucidate ANS function and its relationship with divergent creativity gains related to psychostimulant treatment in ADHD. Method: Seventeen individuals diagnosed with ADHD (age 27.9 ± 6.7 sd) participated in two counterbalanced sessions-one while on their prescribed stimulant medication and another after abstaining for at least 24 h. During each session, participants completed convergent (anagrams) and divergent (Torrance Test of Creative Thinking) thinking tasks. An 8 min electrocardiogram prior to cognitive testing was taken to measure heart rate variability (HRV), which is an index of ANS functioning. Results: The hypothesized baseline pNN50 HRV measure was not predictive of enhanced creativity gains on convergent anagrams or divergent creativity on the Torrance when taking stimulants. Conclusions: In this pilot study, the relationship between baseline HRV and the impact of stimulants on anagram performance suggests the noradrenergic system may not play a role in the effect of stimulants on convergent or divergent creativity. The lack of a relationship between baseline HRV and stimulant-related changes in TTCT and anagram scores lends some support to the hypothesis that dopaminergic effects may be the predominant factor in the effect of stimulants on creativity in ADHD. Future research should further investigate the interaction between hypoactive neurotransmitter systems, particularly dopamine in divergent and norepinephrine in convergent creativity, using neuroimaging techniques to assess neurotransmitter dynamics during creativity-based tasks.

Divergent and convergent creativity relate to different aspects of semantic control

Abstract Past work has demonstrated a link between semantic memory and verbal creativity. Yet, few studies have considered this relationship through the lens of the controlled semantic cognition account, which anticipates that multimodal concepts in long-term memory interact with semantic control processes to generate goal and context-appropriate patterns of retrieval. In particular, while the creativity literature has distinguished divergent and convergent aspects of creativity, little is known about their relationship with separable aspects of semantic control, or the semantic intrinsic functional architecture of the brain. We investigated whether tasks with greater reliance on controlled semantic retrieval (assessed through weak association) versus semantic selection (assessed through semantic feature matching) were differentially linked to divergent creativity (assessed with the unusual uses task; UUT) and convergent creativity (assessed with the remote associates task; RAT). Better performance on the RAT was linked to semantic selection, while stronger performance on UUT was linked to more efficient retrieval of weak associations. We also examined individual differences in the intrinsic functional architecture of the semantic system using resting-state fMRI. Greater coupling between the anterior temporal lobe (multimodal semantic store) and left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) (in the semantic control network) was linked to stronger convergent creativity. This pathway also correlated with semantic feature matching performance, but not the retrieval of weak associations. In contrast, better divergent creativity was linked to greater coupling between LIFG and language-related auditory-motor regions, and decoupling from the default mode and frontoparietal networks. These connections correlated with the retrieval of weak associations. Interestingly, while decoupling of LIFG with default mode and frontoparietal networks correlated with the retrieval of weak associations, coupling of LIFG with these networks correlated with semantic feature matching. These behavioural and neurocognitive dissociations show that semantic control and creativity are highly related yet multifaceted constructs that depend on the underlying intrinsic architecture of key sites related to semantic cognition.

Creative Thinking in Science: Influence of Ethnicity, Gender and Grade Level in Co-educational Schools, Kenya

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of ethnicity, gender and grade level on creative thinking in science among co-educational secondary school students. The study employed cross-sectional design with purposive sampling through which 363 students were sampled from 2 co-educational secondary schools in Kakamega (n = 198) and Siaya (n = 165) counties of Kenya. The entire sample was made of grade 9 (n = 95), grade 10 (n = 99), grade 11 (n = 75), and grade 12 (n = 94) students. The same sample consisted of 168 males and 195 females. Students Science Creativity Questionnaire (SSCQ) was adapted from Smith (2019), piloted and used to measure creative thinking in science. The instrument measured four dimensions of divergent creative thinking as fluency, flexibility, elaboration and originality. The data were analysed using a 4 x 2 x 2 MANOVA. The findings indicated statistically significant ethnic differences between Luo students from Siaya county and Luhya students from Kakamega county with regard to fluency and flexibility in favor of Luhya students. There were no statistically significant gender differences in creative thinking in science and statistically significant grade level differences in the dimensions of fluency, elaboration and originality. The findings have implications for pedagogic practice. Science teachers could deliberately make learning environments characterised creative learning activities which require learners to to generate multiple ideas and encourage students to solve scientific problems. Such learning environments could be made to encourage gender inclusive pedagogic practices and tailor creative learning experiences to grade level of learners. The discussion, conclusions and recommendations of the study are herein explained.

Associations between indoor environmental conditions and divergent creative thinking scores in the CogFx global buildings study

Associations between indoor environmental conditions and divergent creative thinking scores in the CogFx global buildings study

The effect of nature on creativity through mental imagery.

Immersion in nature has been linked to wide-ranging benefits on mental health and cognitive functions, from reducing stress to enhancing creativity. However, a walk in nature is not always feasible, and whether a proxy for nature immersion via a mental walk in nature can elicit the same benefits as a physical walk remains largely unknown. Accordingly, the current study utilized guided imagery to examine whether a mental walk in nature would improve creativity in general and when compared to a mental walk in an urban environment. We implemented a within-subjects design, wherein participants completed both mental walk conditions (in a nature and urban environment) at least five days apart in counterbalanced order on an online platform. During each session, participants (N = 97) completed two pre-walk tasks assessing convergent (measured by the Remote Associates Test) and divergent creative thinking (measured by the Alternate Uses Test), followed by a mental walk in either a nature or urban environment, then finally the identical two post-walk creativity tasks. After five days, they repeated the same procedure with a mental walk in the other environment. While comparisons of post-walk creativity scores between the nature and urban environment did not significantly differ from each other, the comparisons between the pre- and post-walk creativity scores revealed a significant improvement in convergent creative thinking in the nature environment condition, but not the urban environment condition. Our results suggest that taking a mental walk in nature can enhance at least one aspect of creativity, therefore providing preliminary evidence for the potential to access the creative benefits of mentally immersing ourselves in nature. These findings have important implications for those who wish to enjoy the benefits of nature but are unable to readily access nature physically.

Schizotypy and Creativity: Divergent Thinking, Inhibitory Control, and the Spontaneous Flow of Thought

ABSTRACT Schizotypy may be associated with heightened creativity, but the exact relationship between schizotypal traits and creative divergent thinking remains unclear. Unlike previous research, which predominantly focused on students, this study (n = 213) explored the relationship between schizotypy and divergent thinking in the Alternate Uses Task across a wider age range (from 18 to 78 years, M = 42.8). Schizotypy was measured using the shortened O-LIFE scale. To examine moderating factors, inhibitory control was assessed with a Go/NoGo task, and the spontaneous flow of associative thinking was measured with a Forward Flow task. Impulsive Nonconformity was particularly associated with enhanced creativity and originality in divergent thinking, while negative schizotypy had a detrimental effect. Impulsive Nonconformity was especially influential in fostering creativity when combined with reduced inhibitory control or distant associations, aligning with theories that propose creative ideation stems from combining distantly related ideas, because reduced inhibition and distant associations may broaden access to a wider range of information. Conversely, negative schizotypy diminished originality, possibly due to reduced motivation and fluency, coupled with decreased inhibition. These results underscore the complexity of the interaction between inhibition, associative thinking, and creativity, indicating that cognitive resources and processing strategies play critical roles.

AI and the Learning Experience Design: From Divergent Creativity to Convergent Precision

AI and the Learning Experience Design: From Divergent Creativity to Convergent Precision

Enhancing creative divergent thinking in older adults with a semantic retrieval strategy

ABSTRACT Creative divergent thinking involves the generation of unique ideas by pulling from semantic memory stores and exercising cognitive flexibility to shape these memories into something new. Although cognitive abilities decline with age, semantic memory tends to remain intact. This study aims to utilize that memory to investigate the effectiveness of a brief cognitive training to improve creative divergent thinking. Older adults were trained using a semantic retrieval strategy to improve creativity in the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and the Divergent Association Task (DAT). Participants were tested on the AUT and DAT across three time points: before the strategy was introduced (T0 and T1) and afterward (T2). Results showed that the strategy enhances idea novelty in the AUT; additionally, participants that initially scored lowest on the AUT showed the greatest increase in AUT performance. This finding suggests that older adults can use a semantic retrieval strategy to enhance creative divergent thinking.

Acute aerobic exercise and creative thinking: comparison of transient hypofrontality state and strength model of self-controls’ theoretical predictions

Creativity is a high-level cognitive activity that can" be affected by acute aerobic exercise. This paper aims to determine how acute aerobic exercise intensities may influence aspects of divergent and convergent creative thinking. In this regard, to give an insight into the results, the predictions of the transient hypofrontality thesis and the strength model of self-control have been taken into consideration. Ninety-three healthy male college students (age = 21.18 ±1.73 years) were randomly assigned to anaerobic threshold intensity (%85 HRmax, n = 31), low intensity (%60 HRmax, n = 31), and control (n = 31) groups Participants performed divergent (Alternate Uses Task) and convergent (Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test) creative thinking tasks before, during, and after cessation of two anaerobic thresholds and low intensities and control conditions. For the divergent creative thinking, flexibility and fluency performances during and after cessation of exercise in anaerobic threshold and low-intensity groups were improved in comparison to the control group.These results were consistent with the transient hypofrontality thesis and inconsistent with the strength model of self-control pre-dictions. In contrast, the performance of convergent creative thinking was relatively stable during and after cessation of exercise in anaerobic threshold and low-intensity groups which was inconsistent with both the transient hypofrontality thesis and the strength model of self-control predictions. The findings suggest that theoretical predictions of transient hypofrontality thesis are more adaptable with literature than the strength model of self-control to consider the exercise-creative processes relationship and further study of the issue would be of interest. Key words: Cognition, Convergent, Creativity, Divergent, Self-depletion, Physical Activity

Narcissism Mediates the Relationship Between Helicopter Parenting and Divergent Creativity, but Not Convergent Creativity

ABSTRACT This study contrasts the relationship between helicopter parenting, narcissistic traits, and divergent creativity to the relationship between helicopter parenting, narcissistic traits, and convergent creativity in college students. In this study, 113 college students from 19 to 27 years of age completed surveys measuring helicopter parenting, narcissism, and creativity tasks. Both increased levels of student-reported helicopter parenting and increased levels of narcissism predicted decreased divergent and convergent creativity scores. While the relationship between helicopter parenting and divergent creativity was fully mediated by increased narcissism, helicopter parenting and narcissism independently contributed to differences in convergent creativity. Results suggest that helicopter parenting behaviors may impact different aspects of the creative process, but all in negative ways.

Variation in Divergent Thinking, Executive-Control Abilities, and Mind-Wandering Measured in and Out of the Laboratory

ABSTRACT Individual differences in executive functions (or executive control abilities) predict variation in creative thinking ability. Relatedly, propensity for mind-wandering – or task unrelated thought – has been gaining attention among creativity scholars, but its effects on creativity remain unclear. The present study conceptually replicates and extends recent laboratory and experience-sampling work to assess the links between individual differences in divergent thinking, executive control abilities (working memory capacity and attention control), and measures of mind-wandering collected in both contexts. SEM analyses indicated that executive control factors weakly predicted divergent thinking scores, mainly due to their role in filtering out uncreative ideas rather than generating highly novel ones. Lab-based measures of mind-wandering didn’t significantly correlate with overall creative thinking, challenging the idea that mind-wandering uniformly enhances creativity, but they were positively linked to highly creative divergent thinking scores. Daily-life measures of mind-wandering, meanwhile, did not provide stronger predictive insights into creative thinking than lab measures. Finally, exploratory analyses found that divergent thinking scores based on highly creative responses were positively associated with episodes of more fantastical, unrealistic mind-wandering, or “daydreaming.” We end our investigation with a call for greater theoretical precision and some hypotheses to guide future work. [Data, scripts, and preprint: https://osf.io/at5gx/]

Give your ideas a hand: the role of iconic hand gestures in enhancing divergent creative thinking

Hand gestures play an integral role in multimodal language and communication. Even though the self-oriented functions of gestures, such as activating a speaker’s lexicon and maintaining visuospatial imagery, have been emphasized, gestures’ functions in creative thinking are not well-established. In the current study, we investigated the role of iconic gestures in verbal divergent thinking—a creative thinking process related to generating many novel ideas. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that iconic gesture use would facilitate divergent thinking in young adults, especially those with high mental imagery skills. Participants performed Guildford’s Alternative Uses Task in a gesture-spontaneous and in a gesture-encouraged condition. We measured fluency (number of ideas), originality (uniqueness of ideas), flexibility (number of idea categories), and elaboration (number of details) in divergent thinking. The results showed that producing iconic gestures in the gesture-encouraged condition positively predicted fluency, originality, and elaboration. In the gesture-spontaneous condition, producing iconic gestures also positively predicted elaboration but negatively predicted flexibility. Mental imagery skills did not interact with the effects of gestures on divergent thinking. These results suggest that iconic gestures are a promising candidate for enhancing almost all aspects of divergent thinking. Overall, the current study adds a new dimension to the self-oriented function of iconic gestures, that is, their contribution to creative thinking.

The effect of self-related humor on convergent and divergent thinking

Humour enhances creativity, but the question is whether different types of humour have a similar effect on improving individual creativity. It is evident that negative humour style is negatively related to creativity, while positive humour style is positively related to it. However, no evidence has been found that self-related humour (self-enhancing and self-defeating humour) directly affects creative thinking in the experimental setting. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of self-related humour on convergent and divergent creative thinking. We included 60 (38 male, 22 female) participants and randomly assigned 20 in each condition to conduct this experiment. To evoke humour, we used 12 stimuli (12 self-enhancing jokes, 12 self-defeating jokes, and 12 non-humorous statements) in each condition. Remote Association Task (RAT) was used to measure convergent thinking, and Alternative Uses Task (AUT) was used to measure divergent thinking. We expected that i) people who engage in self-enhancing humour would perform better at convergent thinking tasks than the control group and the self-defeating humour group and ii) people who engage in self-enhancing humour would perform better at divergent thinking tasks than the control group and the self-defeating humour group. Our results supported our hypotheses and suggested that self-enhancing humour induced individual creativity both in convergent or divergent thinking (originality, fluency, flexibility). In contrast, self-defeating humour failed to affect either convergent or divergent thinking.

I am a Genius! Influence of Virtually Embodying Leonardo da Vinci on Creative Performance.

Virtual reality (VR) provides users with the ability to substitute their physical appearance by embodying virtual characters (avatars) using head-mounted displays and motion-capture technologies. Previous research demonstrated that the sense of embodiment toward an avatar can impact user behavior and cognition. In this paper, we present an experiment designed to investigate whether embodying a well-known creative genius could enhance participants' creative performance. Following a preliminary online survey (N = 157) to select a famous character suited to the purpose of this study, we developed a VR application allowing participants to embody Leonardo da Vinci or a self-avatar. Self-avatars were approximately matched with participants in terms of skin tone and morphology. 40 participants took part in three tasks seamlessly integrated in a virtual workshop. The first task was based on a Guilford's Alternate Uses test (GAU) to assess participants' divergent abilities in terms of fluency and originality. The second task was based on a Remote Associates Test (RAT) to evaluate convergent abilities. Lastly, the third task consisted in designing potential alternative uses of an object displayed in the virtual environment using a 3D sketching tool. Participants embodying Leonardo da Vinci demonstrated significantly higher divergent thinking abilities, with a substantial difference in fluency between the groups. Conversely, participants embodying a self-avatar performed significantly better in the convergent thinking task. Taken together, these results promote the use of our virtual embodiment approach, especially in applications where divergent creativity plays an important role, such as design and innovation.

Are False Memory and Creative Thinking Mediated by Common Neural Substrates? An fMRI Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT Episodic retrieval plays a functional-adaptive role in supporting divergent creative thinking, the ability to creatively combine different pieces of information. However, the same constructive memory process that provides this benefit can also lead to memory errors. Prior behavioral work has shown that there is a positive correlation between the false recognition of lure items in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm, and divergent creative thinking as assessed on the alternate uses task. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to test for convergence in the neural substrates associated with these cognitive linkages. Our individual meta-analyses of false recognition-related activity as well as divergent thinking-related neural activity replicated prior meta-analyses. However, there was no significant statistical overlap across the neural regions associated with false recognition and divergent creative thinking. These null findings may reflect the operation of distinct generative retrieval processes engaged during divergent thinking relative to false recognition.

The SPECTRA Study: Validating a New Memory Training Program based on the Episodic Specificity Induction to Promote Transfer in Older Adults.

Some complex cognitive activities impacted by aging (future thinking, problem-solving, creative thinking) have been shown to rely on episodic retrieval, suggesting that cognitive interventions aiming to improve retrieval have the potential to induce transfer effects to these activities. Prior studies have shown that a brief one-session technique called Episodic Specificity Induction (ESI) can transiently improve episodic retrieval and induce transfer effects to complex tasks that rely on episodic retrieval in older adults. In the present proof-of-concept study, we assessed whether a training program consisting of repeated practice of the ESI technique can improve episodic retrieval and transfer to complex tasks. Fifteen healthy older adults completed a six-session intervention where they received repeated ESI practice. Before and after the intervention, nearest transfer effects were assessed using free recall, near transfer effects using recognition and associative recognition, and far-transfer effects using mean-ends problem-solving and divergent creative thinking. Before the intervention, typical ESI effects were observed (better performance after an ESI than after a control task), indicating that the ESI operated as expected in our sample. When examining the intervention effects, performance was increased after the intervention on free recall and recognition (nearest- and near-transfer) as well as problem-solving and divergent creative thinking (far transfer). These results indicate that an intervention relying on the ESI technique can produce both near and far transfer. These findings support the use of the ESI in the design of interventions that could improve retrieval and have a broad impact on a range of complex tasks.

Best humans still outperform artificial intelligence in a creative divergent thinking task

Creativity has traditionally been considered an ability exclusive to human beings. However, the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in generative AI chatbots that can produce high-quality artworks, raising questions about the differences between human and machine creativity. In this study, we compared the creativity of humans (n = 256) with that of three current AI chatbots using the alternate uses task (AUT), which is the most used divergent thinking task. Participants were asked to generate uncommon and creative uses for everyday objects. On average, the AI chatbots outperformed human participants. While human responses included poor-quality ideas, the chatbots generally produced more creative responses. However, the best human ideas still matched or exceed those of the chatbots. While this study highlights the potential of AI as a tool to enhance creativity, it also underscores the unique and complex nature of human creativity that may be difficult to fully replicate or surpass with AI technology. The study provides insights into the relationship between human and machine creativity, which is related to important questions about the future of creative work in the age of AI.

Comparison of the effects of indoor and outdoor exercise on creativity: an analysis of EEG alpha power.

Previous research finds that natural environments and exercise enhance creativity. In this within-subjects design study, we examined the influence of outdoor exercise that combined a natural environment with exercise on creativity compared to an indoor exercise control condition by analyzing cognitive activities related to creativity. The participants performed an Alternative Uses Test (AUT), in which ordinary objects are presented to the participants (e.g., a brick), to prompt as many ideas for alternative uses as possible, which are transformed into a creativity score, after indoor running and outdoor running. During the test, brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) and a short version flow state scale (FSS) was completed after the experiment. Results showed that while AUT scores did not significantly differ between conditions, alpha band activity at the parietal occipital region involved in divergent creativity increased during the AUT after outdoor exercise while it did not during the AUT after indoor exercise. In addition, FSS scores for positive emotional experience and absorption were higher after outdoor exercise than after indoor exercise. Our results from the FSS suggest that exercise in a natural environment is perceived subjectively differently from indoor exercise, participants report greater experiences of flow compared to indoor exercise, and the EEG measures objectively indicate enhanced cognitive activity in a creativity task after outdoor exercise. This study suggests that outdoor exercise increases neuronal activity in brain regions related to creativity. Further research is needed to understand how this can lead to increased creativity.