Creativity and Attention Control: An Individual Difference Approach
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| Title: | Creativity and Attention Control: An Individual Difference Approach |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Beatrice N. Ruiz (ORCID |
| Source: | Creativity Research Journal. 2025 37(3):406-426. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Attention, Attention Control, Auditory Discrimination, Creativity, Creative Thinking, College Students, Correlation, Stimuli, Individual Differences |
| DOI: | 10.1080/10400419.2023.2291631 |
| ISSN: | 1040-0419 1532-6934 |
| Abstract: | Prior work suggests that attention is related to creativity, in large part because creative individuals are more likely to attend to and remember irrelevant auditory information. However, the specific role of attention in those studies is unclear because the results may reflect memory processes rather than attention. In two experiments, we used a dichotic listening task to experimentally manipulate attention control (focused, divided) without memory demands. Analyses tested whether individual differences in dichotic listening performance covaried with creative achievement and creative performance on lab-based tests. Results from both studies showed that misperceptions in the dichotic listening tasks were negatively related to creative performance, with mixed results for their relations to creative achievement. There was also a negative relationship between the ability to focus attention and divergent thinking. We speculate that misperceptions may index periods of attentional lapses, which are also likely to limit creativity. Additionally, focused attention may hinder divergent thinking. Taken together, the findings suggest that individual differences in attention control contribute to performance on lab-based creativity tests. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1493560 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Prior work suggests that attention is related to creativity, in large part because creative individuals are more likely to attend to and remember irrelevant auditory information. However, the specific role of attention in those studies is unclear because the results may reflect memory processes rather than attention. In two experiments, we used a dichotic listening task to experimentally manipulate attention control (focused, divided) without memory demands. Analyses tested whether individual differences in dichotic listening performance covaried with creative achievement and creative performance on lab-based tests. Results from both studies showed that misperceptions in the dichotic listening tasks were negatively related to creative performance, with mixed results for their relations to creative achievement. There was also a negative relationship between the ability to focus attention and divergent thinking. We speculate that misperceptions may index periods of attentional lapses, which are also likely to limit creativity. Additionally, focused attention may hinder divergent thinking. Taken together, the findings suggest that individual differences in attention control contribute to performance on lab-based creativity tests. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1040-0419 1532-6934 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/10400419.2023.2291631 |
