On the Trail of Creativity: Dimensionality of Divergent Thinking and its Relation with Cognitive Abilities, Personality, and Insight

Abstract

Divergent thinking (DT) is an important constituent of creativity that captures aspects of fluency and originality. The literature lacks multivariate studies that report relationships between DT and its aspects with relevant covariates, such as cognitive abilities, personality traits (e.g. openness), and insight. In two multivariate studies (N = 152 and N = 298), we evaluate competing measurement models for a variety of DT tests and examine the relationship between DT and established cognitive abilities, personality traits, and insight. A nested factor model with a general DT and a nested originality factor described the data well. In Study 1, DT was moderately related with working memory, fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, and mental speed. In Study 2, we replicate these results and add insight, openness, extraversion, and honesty-humility as covariates. DT was associated with insight, extraversion, and honesty-humility, whereas crystallized intelligence mediated the relationship between openness and DT. In contrast, the nested originality factor (i.e. the specificity of originality tasks beyond other DT tasks) had low variance and was not meaningfully related with any other constructs in the nomological net. We highlight avenues for future research by discussing issues of measurement and scoring.

A Reappraisal of the Threshold Hypothesis of Creativity and Intelligence

“…The second data set was part of a larger multivariate study of creativity and its covariates ( Goecke et al 2020 ; Steger et al 2020 ; Weiss et al 2020a ). The analysis was based on N = 438 participants after excluding n = 12 multivariate outliers with a Mahalanobis distance > 15.…”

“…About 65% of the participants were female. For more information regarding the sample and data preparation, see Weiss et al ( 2020a ). The dataset is available online via OSF ( ).…”

“…Three human raters scored participants’ answers on a five-point rating scale ( Amabile 1982 ; Silvia et al 2008 ). For more detailed information, please see Weiss et al ( 2020a ).…”

“…In Study 1, the measurement model was identified using three indicators of the alternate uses task, whereas the model fitted the data well in Study 2 (χ 2 (9) = 13.31, p = 0.15, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.03, SRMR = 0.03). In comparison to Weiss et al ( 2020a ), we modeled creativity as a single factor of divergent thinking, excluding the nested originality factor in the present analysis because it shows low factor saturation and factor variance, which causes estimation problems in LSEM.…”

“…The relation between intelligence and creativity was evaluated in several studies (e.g., in terms of a lower-order factor in the Cattell–Horn–Carroll model of cognitive abilities; McGrew 2009 ; Silvia et al 2013 ). Recent evidence showed that creative abilities (e.g., divergent thinking scored for fluency) and general intelligence were substantially related ( r = 0.46, Karwowski et al 2018 ; β = 0.45, Nusbaum and Silvia 2011 ), especially when using a broad set of indicators ( β = 0.51; Benedek et al 2012 ; β = 0.40, Weiss et al 2020a ). This is corroborated by a review that states that the progress in analytical tools, as well as in measurement (e.g., in cognitive neuroscience), has led to the conclusion that creativity and intelligence are closely related ( Silvia 2015 ).…”