The profile of music as a creative domain in people’s conceptions: Expanding Runco & Bahleda’s 1986 study on implicit theories of creativity in a conceptual replication

Abstract

Concepts of creativity in music usually focus on explicit theoretical assumptions based on models from psychology research. In recent years, the fields of psychology and education have become increasingly interested in research on laypersons’ attitudes and assumptions about creativity. These implicit theories may complement or even contradict scholarly conceptualisations of creativity and its domain specificity. As a conceptual replication of the work by Runco and Bahleda (1986), this study aims to explore the dimensionality of subjective conceptions of creativity in different domains (arts, science, everyday life, music) by means of an open-ended questionnaire in an online survey ( N = 106). A content analysis of the data yielded 27 meta-categories; a correspondence analysis of their distribution across domains revealed differences between domain-specific conceptions. This indicates stereotypical structures regarding creativity in different domains, as expressed in the associations generated by the participants. Unlike science and the arts, music is described as having distinct aesthetic and emotional qualities. The participants’ musical expertise did not appear to significantly influence the generation of associations. With respect to these characterisations cited by the participants, the domain of everyday life seems to be antipodal to other domains and may therefore have served as a point of reference for the participants’ subjective experience of creativity and creative behaviour. These results confirm the findings of Runco and Bahleda (1986), perhaps even furthering them in terms of the analytical methods applied and the findings on the comparison of domains. Nevertheless, the potential of implicit theories (i.e. laypersons’ mindsets concerning the theoretical conceptualisation of musical creativity and its implications for music education) requires further study.

Examining the Relationships between High School Students' Interests in Music and Their Creativity

“…However, there is a very strong relationship between art and creativity (Akca & Kavak, 2021;Kibici, 2022;Glavenau, 2014;Kaufman, 2012). Creativity in music, as an important art field, has been the subject of many studies (Bailes & Bishop, 2012;Hargreaves, MacDonald, & Miell, 2012;Kokotsaki, 2010;Lothwesen, 2020).…”

Theories of Creativity in Music: Students' Theory Appraisal and Argumentation

“…For instance, many putative misconceptions about creativity—such as the belief that creativity is synonymous with the arts (e.g., Patston et al, 2018 )—might be reported by rating a single questionnaire item. Similarly, methods using free association tend to yield lists of characteristics of creativity that may be condensed in categories signified by simple labels such as “beautiful,” “curious,” and “original” (Lothwesen, 2020 ). In more comprehensive factor-analytical (e.g., Cropley et al, 2019 ) or correspondence-analytical settings (e.g., Lothwesen, 2020 ), such beliefs do reveal a larger structure, but this is achieved by the researchers and describes the participants' thinking on a group level.…”

“…Similarly, methods using free association tend to yield lists of characteristics of creativity that may be condensed in categories signified by simple labels such as “beautiful,” “curious,” and “original” (Lothwesen, 2020 ). In more comprehensive factor-analytical (e.g., Cropley et al, 2019 ) or correspondence-analytical settings (e.g., Lothwesen, 2020 ), such beliefs do reveal a larger structure, but this is achieved by the researchers and describes the participants' thinking on a group level. Hence, these studies do not directly address participants' individual commitments to theories (in the sense of belief systems).…”