Journal of Creative Behavior最新文献

Inner speaking, the production, and experience of verbal language without any audible vocalization is a critical component of inner experience and imagination. The role that (un)certainty plays in idea generation might explain the unique ways in which idea generation is characterized and affected by different types of inner speech. To explore this open problem, an experiment with a within-subject design (n = 202) was conducted. The results suggested that certainty about the potential of selected information for generating original and useful ideas, elicited using creativity instructions, caused increased self-reinforcement, self-management, and simulation of social interactions with imagined others by inner speaking, but did influence self-critical inner speaking. Self-reinforcing inner speaking, and possibly the simulation of social interactions, subsequently affected the degree of originality and usefulness participants attributed to their ideas. Herewith, the present study contributes novel insight into how inner speaking characterizes and affects idea generation.

Applying artificial intelligence (AI) to generate creative and valuable outputs is far from a novel concept (Boden, 1998; Cope, 1989). However, only in recent years have we witnessed large scale release and adoption of AI tools capable of generating high-quality content in written, image, video, and sound formats (Anantrasirichai & Bull, 2022). The fast adoption of these tools, and the autonomous nature of the process that generates such outputs, challenges well-rooted paradigms, especially in creative sectors such as the arts. As consequence, it calls for a discussion and reconsideration of existing concepts and assumptions.

Intentionality and creativity, for example, have long been deemed as unique to humans, and central to the understanding of our specie. While intentionality has often been described as “an expression of the presence of creative factors in the processes of intellectual cognition” (Gondek, 2021, p.420), creativity is described as the skill of creating ideas or artifacts that are new, valuable, and surprising (Boden, 2004). Both concepts are intrinsically interrelated and pivotal for understanding humans. For this reason, they have been largely researched through various psychological perspectives, including cognition, personality, emotions, and motivation.

However, creative AI systems are now capable of independently generating outputs which are indistinguishable from the ones developed solely by humans. They also allow for various co-creation possibilities (Miller, 2019). Thus, AI should be perceived as a tool, a co-creative partner, and as an independent creator (Elgammal, 2019). However, the data-centered and autonomous nature of smart systems conflicts with our understanding and expectation of human intentionality in creative tasks.

Therefore, we must reconsider current assumptions to account for the ever-increasing role of AI in creative processes. I defend that the current and future scenario calls for a new paradigm, one which considers intentionality in the synergetic co-creative relationships between humans and AI as equally genuine as the ones not using them. Thus, one where AI is seen as an enabler that allows humans to potentialize their expression of motives and intent. Finally, a paradigm that also recognizes the increasing intentionality of algorithms.

The manifestation of human intentionality in creative tasks has often been viewed as a conscious attempt to express genuine aspirations, emotions, and motives. Especially in the creative and artistic sectors, the subjective value of human expressions is highly influenced by the skill or expertise required to conduct the task necessary to express the desired intent (e.g., ability to play an instrument, writing or painting technique). Thus, the creative process to manifest an intent has always been deemed as of great relevance (Kozbelt, 2004

This study investigates the assumption that teams are the basic unit for creativity and innovation in organizations. Through a quasi-experiment conducted with 548 professionals participating in a training course on management, the study first examines whether individuals opt for intrinsically more creative solutions than groups in a music composition task. Secondly, it explores whether alternating between group and individual music composition has an impact on the originality of the pieces composed. The results show that individuals make more original choices than groups whatever protocol is used, confirming that individuals are better able to think outside of the box, take risks, and demonstrate the divergent thinking necessary for creativity. Moreover, individuals choose less original options when their independent work is preceded by a group composition exercise. Paradoxically, we observe that in all cases, participants are more satisfied with their group production than their individual production. We conclude with some recommendations for developing the most original and satisfactory collective solutions to complex problems.

Depressed mood has attracted little attention in creativity research. By comparison, psychotherapeutic studies have repeatedly associated depressive symptomatology with increased revenge ideation. Combining creativity and retaliatory ideation, the present study examined whether self-reported subclinical depressive symptoms are linked to malevolent creativity – creativity used for the purpose of damaging others – in a psychometric test. In a sample of n = 259 participants, overall depressive symptoms were positively associated with malevolent creativity. Sensitivity analyses confirmed this link for motivational and interactional symptoms, but not cognitive symptoms of depression. As a gender-specific finding, malevolent creativity was positively linked to emotional symptoms of depression in women, but not men. Our findings hint at the possibility that mood impairments through depressive symptoms may facilitate malevolent creative ideation through increased impulsivity, reduced self-regulation, and protracted anger rumination. Following recommendations regarding more focused investigations into the vast research complex of psychopathology and creativity, this study emphasizes negative mood as a risk factor for the occurrence of harmful creative ideation, and thus, presents a novel perspective on the intricate link between internalizing and externalizing symptomatology.

Research in creativity often measures creative potential: the number of ideas which can be generated, or the way a novel thought appears in the mind of the thinker. There is much less emphasis on creative thought during the realization of this potential. This paper uses focused cognitive ethnography to explore how creativity is manifest in a complex environment. We report four main findings: that creativity involves a form of “knowing through doing,” that creativity requires risk on different levels, that an embodied material sensitivity is required to make ideas appear in the world and that the form of the creative product is often unstable. We end with some reflections on the importance of detailed microgenetic work to expand our understanding of the embodied and responsive skills which are necessary for creativity.