Previous studies tend to focus on two facets of creativity: everyday creativity (little-C) and actual creative achievement (Big-C). While little-C and Big-C both involve divergent thinking (DT), the role of DT in their relationship remains unclear. Here, we assessed the creativity scores of 64 adults, including the Creative Behavior Inventory…

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of generating creative outputs are reshaping our understanding of creativity. This shift presents an opportunity for creativity researchers to reevaluate the key components of the creative process. In particular, the advanced capabilities of AI underscore the importance of studying the internal…

When people are working on creative tasks, they make progress in conscious thought (CT) and unconscious thought (UT) processes. UT occurs outside conscious awareness, and unlike CT, it is independent of working memory resources. Previous studies suggest UT is more influential under certain conditions, known as the UT effect. Typically, these…

This research comprises two studies investigating the impact of mood and cognitive stimulation on creativity, with a focus on the role of task type. The first study focused on idea generation, whereas the second explored slogan generation, revealing differing outcomes for distinct tasks. Positive and negative moods were induced through memory…

Creative thinking stems from the cognitive process that fosters the creation of new ideas and problem-solving solutions. Artificial intelligence systems and neural network models can reduce the intricacy of understanding creative cognition. For instance, the generation of ideas could be symbolized as patterns of binary code in which clusters of…

Creative thinking is needed to thrive in our fast-changing world. It has been shown that creative thinking skills can be enhanced through training. Whereas previous research has mainly focused on examining the overall effectiveness of comprehensive creativity training programs, this study examined the effectiveness of four cognitive-based training…

Understanding and supporting pre-service teachers' creativity in collaborative instructional design has gained increasing attention. To design novel and effective learning experiences or activities for students, they need to build empathy with students, that is, understanding students' learning needs. This study aimed to (1) explore the patterns…

While creativity has traditionally been linked to arts education, the importance of developing the ability to think creatively across the school curriculum has grown in prominence (James et al. 2019), reflected by its inclusion in OECD PISA 2022 for the first time (OECD, 2024). Creativity enables learners to thrive in a rapidly evolving workplace,…

The traditionally studied positive outcomes of creativity tend to be product-focused, such as Big-C contributions, good grades, or strong work performance. This paper makes an argument for the importance of less-discussed products of the process--the benefits that arise from being creative, regardless of one's abilities or level of achievement.…

Novelty seeking has been found to affect creative performance, but its impact on the temporal dynamics of creative information processing remains unclear. Creative information is identified by two key indicators--novelty and appropriateness. To explore the effect of novelty seeking on the temporal processing of novelty and appropriateness, a…

Creativity involves generating novel and valuable ideas. While the importance of creative thinking is widely acknowledged, its cognitive basis is poorly understood, particularly in older adults. This study aimed to develop and test an explanatory model of creative thinking to elucidate its underlying cognitive functions in an elderly sample. The…

A major challenge in the process of innovation is to generate quality products that are original as well as feasible, because these features are associated with contradictory cognitive thought processes. This study investigated whether opportunities to engage in an idea generation, selection, and subsequent refinement with a simultaneous focus on…

In an experimental study, we explored the relationships between team regulatory focus and temporal patterns of innovative activities as well as innovative performance. We manipulated regulatory focus in 44 student teams and assessed idea generation and implementation activities over time based on video data. External raters assessed innovative…

When individuals engage in divergent thinking, they vary on their Elaboration, or the degree to which they explain and embellish their responses. Although Elaboration has been considered relevant to creativity research for decades, its measurement has remained under-developed. Here, we leverage technical and methodological perspectives from the…

Having a sudden insight is often associated with inherent confidence, enough for Archimedes to run naked through the streets shouting "Eureka!". Recent evidence demonstrates that public displays of enthusiasm, such as the ancient polymath's, are actually supported by a higher likelihood of being correct.