Shifting between modes of thought: a mechanism underlying creative performance?

Abstract

Creative-cognition has been viewed as involving both divergent and convergent modes of thought, with the former involved in generating new ideas and the latter in honing them into useful and appropriate outcomes [3]. It has been suggested that the ability to efficiently shift between modes may be an important feature underlying the capacity to be creative [4,6], and possibly, of particular importance in professions such as design [10]. However current measures of convergent and divergent thinking do not allow an examination of the dynamic deployment of these different modes on the same task. The present paper outlines a novel behavioral task examining dynamic shifts between modes of thinking, with pilot data tentatively suggesting more creative people are better able to shift between modes than less creative people. A better understanding of the link between shifting and creativity could inform the design of computer-based environments to facilitate shifting between modes [5].