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Boundless Creativity: Evidence for the Domain Generality of Individual Differences in Creativity
Author(s) -
CHEN CHUANSHENG,
HIMSEL AMY,
KASOF JOSEPH,
GREENBERGER ELLEN,
DMITRIEVA JULIA
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the journal of creative behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.896
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 2162-6057
pISSN - 0022-0175
DOI - 10.1002/j.2162-6057.2006.tb01272.x
Subject(s) - creativity , generality , psychology , personality , domain (mathematical analysis) , domain specificity , originality , big five personality traits , cognitive psychology , social psychology , cognition , mathematics , mathematical analysis , neuroscience , psychotherapist
This study investigated correlates of domain‐general and domain‐specific components of creativity. 158 college students completed a questionnaire that assessed their motivational and personality traits (i.e., intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, creative personality, and originality in word association) as well as intellectual abilities (SAT verbal and quantitative scores). Under two different instruction conditions (standard instruction or explicit “be creative” instruction), students also took a battery of multi‐item, product‐based tests of creativity in three domains (artistic, verbal, and mathematical creativity). Factor analyses showed evidence of domain‐generality of creativity. Furthermore, results from structural equation models showed that motivational and personality traits and intellectual abilities were associated with the domain‐general component of creativity. Only one variable (SAT quantitative score) was found to be associated with the domain‐specific component of mathematical creativity under the explicit “be creative” instruction condition. These results affirm the domain‐generality of creativity and challenge researchers to identify correlates of domain‐specific components of creativity.