Neuroimaging creativity: a psychometric view
Abstract
Many studies of creative cognition with a neuroimaging component now exist; what do they say about where and how creativity arises in the brain? We reviewed 45 brain-imaging studies of creative cognition. We found little clear evidence of overlap in their results. Nearly as many different tests were used as there were studies; this test diversity makes it impossible to interpret the different findings across studies with any confidence. Our conclusion is that creativity research would benefit from psychometrically informed revision, and the addition of neuroimaging methods designed to provide greater spatial localization of function. Without such revision in the behavioral measures and study designs, it is hard to see the benefit of imaging. We set out eight suggestions in a manifesto for taking creativity research forward.
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Recent literature reviews have been largely inconclusive on the brain basis of creative thought.
“Recent literature reviews have been largely inconclusive on the brain basis of creative thought (Arden et al., 2010, Dietrich and Kanso, 2010, Sawyer, 2011), raising questions about whether creativity can be isolated to discrete regions in the brain (Abraham, 2013, Jung et al., 2013).”
From Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest (2014) · cites this paper as Arden et al., 2010
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- Authors
- Arden, R., Chavez, R. S., Grazioplene, R., & Jung, R. E.
- Affiliations
- King's College London (GB)
- Mind Research Network (US)
- Corresponding author
- Jung, Rex E.
- Venue
- Behavioural Brain Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-12
- Volume
- 214
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 143-156
- ISSN
- 0166-4328 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2132337600
- Cited by
- 287
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 34 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 34 · 2013: 23 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 1.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavioural Brain Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- John Templeton Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Creativity in Education and Neuroscience
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
- Keywords
- creativity, creative cognition, brain localization of function, behavioral measures, research design
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Brain Mapping, Creativity, Humans, Psychometrics
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