Journal of Creative Behavior最新文献

Creativity researchers have recently sought to standardize idea assessment via computational measures of semantic distance: the degree of conceptual dissimilarity between words. The relationship between semantic distance and creativity has traditionally been described using linear models, with the embedded assumption that as semantic distance increases, so does the creative quality of ideas. However, informal observations would suggest that distant associations may sometimes become too incoherent or nonsensical to be considered creative. Using generalized additive models (GAMs), we explored the non-linear nature of this relationship across three divergent thinking tasks: alternate uses, question asking, and metaphor generation. Our results revealed a consistent pattern: human ratings of creativity increased with semantic distance up to a certain threshold (between 0.9 and 1), after which point, additional semantic distance did not translate into more subjectively creative ideas. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between semantic distance and creativity than previously available, suggesting that the relationship is best characterized as curvilinear rather than linear. This work highlights a potential “sweet spot” for semantic distance in creative ideation and holds important implications for models of creativity.

This paper extends the growing conversations around creativity's metamorphic capacities for good to propose and explore Social Change Creativity (SCC) as a distinct creative domain in which individuals and communities engage in the creative process to combat social injustice and manifest equitable social outcomes. SCC involves the use of creative strengths and imagination to promote social equity and justice. Drawing on the Amusement Park Theoretical Model of Creativity, the authors position SCC as a domain of creativity within a broader prosocial area. They then outline microdomains, evaluation strategies, applications, and a field agenda.

Creativity is increasingly recognized not only as a cognitive asset but also as a contributor to emotional and psychological well-being. This paper explores the relationship between creativity and well-being across everyday, artistic, and educational contexts, highlighting how creative engagement supports resilience, stress reduction, and personal fulfillment. Drawing from research in psychology, neuroscience, and education, we examine mechanisms such as flow states, mindfulness, and expressive practices that link creativity to improved mental health. We also consider how creativity fosters adaptability and emotional regulation, both of which are critical in navigating personal challenges and uncertain futures. In educational settings, creative engagement offers promising avenues to support holistic student development, yet systemic barriers (such as limited funding and emphasis on standardized testing) can constrain its implementation. The paper concludes by calling for more longitudinal and culturally inclusive research to deepen our understanding of creativity's role in well-being and inform practices that foster both emotional and intellectual growth.

Interest in understanding creativity through Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data is on the rise, yet researchers face methodological challenges in synthesizing findings across various constructs, measures, and datasets. Meta-analysis—a valuable methodology for synthesizing quantitative data—remains underutilized in creativity research involving large-scale assessments like PISA. This paper provides guidelines for applying meta-analytic techniques to PISA creative thinking assessment data to help researchers address these challenges. It introduces meta-analysis by outlining its definition and advantages, followed by key steps and methodological considerations for synthesizing bivariate and multivariate relationships within PISA. Finally, the paper discusses techniques for managing the computational complexity of meta-analyzing PISA data. Ultimately, these guidelines aim to support researchers in effectively synthesizing PISA data to advance the study of creativity.

Expanding the social identity view of creativity from the situated cognition perspective, this research examined how the perception of an innovative organizational identity influences cognitive flexibility, one of the pathways to creativity, through the mechanism of creative self-efficacy. The results from experimental Study 1 (128 respondents) demonstrated that the perception of an innovative organizational identity is more likely to foster one's belief in their creative abilities (i.e., creative self-efficacy) than the perception of a conventional organizational identity. Experimental Study 2 (163 participants) provided evidence of the positive relationship between creative self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility and the mediating effect of creative self-efficacy in linking innovative organizational identity to cognitive flexibility. Finally, in Study 3 (202 respondents), a survey was conducted at an actual organization to rule out the impact of organizational identification on the proposed mechanism. The results showed that the mediating effect of creative self-efficacy remained significant even when controlling for organizational identification. This work enriches the existing literature on the social identity approach to creativity by proposing that innovative organizational identity is a determinant of creative self-efficacy and cognitive flexibility.

The relationship between online game use and creativity remains contentious. Self-worth orientation theory suggests that online gaming can fulfill individual self-worth needs, implying that self-worth may moderate this relationship. Study 1 assessed online game use, self-worth, and creativity among 184 college students through a cross-sectional survey. Results indicated that self-worth moderated the relationship between online game use and creativity; for high self-worth action/shooter gamers, game use positively correlated with fluency but marginally negatively correlated with usefulness. Conversely, for low self-worth action/shooter gamers, game use negatively correlated with fluency. Additionally, low self-worth casual/puzzle gamers showed a marginal negative correlation with originality, while high self-worth casual/puzzle gamers exhibited a positive correlation with originality. To enhance the internal validity of this study, Study 2 involved 55 participants in a pre-/post-test experimental design with a nongaming group and two gaming groups. Results showed that, in the pre-test higher creativity group rather than the pre-test lower creativity group, self-worth moderated the effects of action/shooter game use on fluency and originality. Although the main effect of online game use and moderating effects of self-worth were generally weak, these findings contribute to addressing the controversy surrounding the relationship between online game use and creativity identified in prior research and offer theoretical insights to enhance overall creativity.

This study identifies the configurations of personal and situational conditions that promote or inhibit creativity. We adhere to the Interactionist Model of Creative Behavior and Complexity Theory, adopting a qualitative research design. Data were collected via an online survey from 197 employees in the research and development departments of Portugal's technology and telecommunication industries. According to our findings, creativity requires complex combinations of conditions. Four alternative configurations foster creativity and four inhibit it. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, we employ a configurational approach to understand how creativity can be facilitated or hindered and therefore contribute to the relatively unexplored topic of inhibiting creativity. Our theoretical contributions augment the Componential Theory of Creativity, addressing the complementarity among several conditions, the compensatory effect of a changing condition, and the substitute effect of a combination of conditions that compensate for the absence (lack) of a condition and still lead to the desired outcome. We also provide recommendations for managers in the technology and telecommunications industries. Even if they are not transformational leaders, they might cultivate creativity by considering other employees and contextual and organizational characteristics.