The Neuroscience of Creativity (PDF)

Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press i The Neuroscience of Creativity What happens in our brains when we compose a melody, write a poem, paint a picture, or choreograph a dance sequence? How is this different from what occurs in the brain when we generate a new theory or a scientifi c hypothesis? In this book, Anna Abraham reveals how the tools of neuroscience can be employed to uncover the answers to these and other vital questions. She explores the intricate workings of our creative minds to explain what happens in our brains when we operate in a creative mode versus an uncreative mode. The vast and complex fi eld that is the neuroscience of creativity is disentangled and described in an accessible manner, balancing what is known so far with critical issues that are as yet unresolved. Clear guidelines are also provided for researchers who pursue the big questions in their bid to discover the creative mind. Anna Abraham is a Professor of Psychology at the School of Social Sciences in Leeds Beckett University, UK. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, the Salzburg Global Seminar, and the Higher Education Academy. She is also a Member of the International Society for Fiction and Fictionality Studies, the Association for Psychological Science, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and the American Psychological Association’s Division 10: Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts. She edited the 2015 book Madness and Creativity: Yes, No or Maybe? and has authored numerous publications on the human imagination.  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press ii Cambridge Fundamentals of Neuroscience in Psychology Developed in response to a growing need to make neuroscience accessible to students and other non-specialist readers, the Cambridge Fundamentals of Neuroscience in Psychology series provides brief introductions to key areas of neuroscience research across major domains of psychology. Written by experts in cognitive, social, affective, developmental, clinical, and applied neuroscience, these books will serve as ideal primers for students and other readers seeking an entry point to the challenging world of neuroscience. Books in the Series: The Neuroscience of Expertise by Merim Bilalić The Neuroscience of Intelligence by Richard J. Haier Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory by Scott D. Slotnick The Neuroscience of Adolescence by Adriana Galván The Neuroscience of Suicidal Behavior by Kees van Heeringen The Neuroscience of Creativity by Anna Abraham Cognitive and Social Neuroscience of Aging by Angela Gutchess  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press iii The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Leeds Beckett University, UK  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press iv University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia 314– 321, 3rd Floor, Plot 3, Splendor Forum, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi – 110025, India 79 Anson Road, #06- 04/ 06, Singapore 079906 Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/ 9781107176461 DOI: 10.1017/ 9781316816981 © Anna Abraham 2018 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2018 Printed in the United Kingdom by TJ International Ltd. Padstow Cornwall A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Abraham, Anna, 1977– author. Title: The neuroscience of creativity / Anna Abraham. Description: Cambridge, United Kingdom; New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2019. | Series: Cambridge fundamentals of neuroscience in psychology | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifi ers: LCCN 2018029876 | ISBN 9781107176461 (hardback) | ISBN 9781316629611 (paperback) Subjects: LCSH: Creative ability. | Cognitive neuroscience. Classifi cation: LCC BF408.A235 2019 | DDC 153.3/5–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018029876 ISBN 978- 1- 107- 17646- 1 Hardback ISBN 978- 1- 316- 62961- 1 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third- party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Reprinted 2019  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press v For my parents, Shaino Abraham, the reigning world champion of steadfast optimism, and George (Lalu) Abraham, the coolest cat to have walked the planet.  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press vii Contents List of Figures page xii List of Boxes xiv Preface xvii Acknowledgments xix 1 What Is Creativity? 1 1.1 Recognizing Creativity 1 1.1.1 Scientifi c Domains 1 1.1.2 Artistic Domains 4 1.2 Defi ning Creativity 7 1.2.1 Comprehensiveness in Defi ning Creativity 9 1.2.2 Critical Factors to Keep in Mind When Defi ning Creativity 11 1.3 Understanding “Appropriateness” Appropriately 12 1.4 Challenges in Recognizing or Evaluating Creativity 15 1.4.1 How Do We “Recognize” Creativity? 15 1.4.2 To What Extent Can We Agree about Creativity? 17 1.4.3 Consciousness and Creativity 19 1.5 The Purpose of Creativity 20 1.5.1 A Road Map for Using this Book 21 2 How Can Creativity Be Assessed? 24 2.1 Approaches to Investigating Creativity 24 2.1.1 Person 25 2.1.2 Product 28 2.1.3 Press/ Place 31 2.1.4 Process 34 2.1.5 Issues for Further Consideration 38 2.2 Assessing Creativity: Person Measures 39 2.2.1 Divergent Thinking Test Batteries 39 2.2.2 Self- Report Measures 40 2.3 Assessing Creativity: Process Measures 41 2.3.1 Convergent Thinking Tasks 42 2.3.2 Process- General Divergent Thinking Tasks 44 2.3.3 Process- Specifi c Divergent Thinking Tasks 46 2.4 Assessing Creativity: Product Approach 47 2.5 Issues for Further Consideration 47  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press viii Contents viii 3 Cognitive Explanations of Creativity 51 3.1 Explanations of Creativity 51 3.2 Focus on Individual Differences 53 3.2.1 Knowledge Storage: Associative Hierarchies 53 3.2.2 Knowledge Access or Retrieval: Defocused Attention 55 3.2.3 Attentional States: Disinhibition 58 3.2.4 Summary: Individual Differences- Based Cognitive Explanations 60 3.3 Focus on Intra- Individual Dynamics 61 3.3.1 Stages of the Creative Process: Wallas Model 61 3.3.2 Stages of the Creative Process: Geneplore Model 65 3.3.3 Summary: Intra- Individual- Based Cognitive Explanations 66 3.4 Creative Cognition: Relevant Operations 67 3.4.1 Insight 67 3.4.2 Analogy 68 3.4.3 Metaphor 69 3.4.4 Imagery 70 3.4.5 Conceptual Expansion 71 3.4.6 Overcoming Knowledge Constraints 72 3.4.7 Flow 73 3.5 Issues for Further Consideration 74 4 Brain- Based Global Explanations of Creativity 78 4.1 The Physiological Approach to Creativity 78 4.2 Dual- Factor Models 81 4.2.1 Right Brain over Left Brain 81 4.2.2 Reduced Concept- Driven Thought or Top- Down Control 85 4.2.3 Brain Networks Perspective 89 4.2.4 What Speaks against Dual- Factor Global Explanations? 93 4.3 Multiple- Factor Models 94 4.3.1 An Evolutionary Brain Networks Perspective 95 4.3.2 An Evolutionary Predictive Perspective 97 4.3.3 What Speaks against Multiple- Factor Models? 100 4.4 A Final Word 101 5 Brain- Based Local Explanations of Creativity 103 5.1 The Local Approach to Creativity 103 5.2 Brain- to- Process Explanations 106 5.2.1 Frontal Lobe Function/ Dysfunction 107 5.2.2 Basal versus Transient Hypofrontality 110  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press ix Contents ix 5.2.3 Alpha Wave- Related Brain Activity 112 5.2.4 Other Specifi c Brain Regions of Interest 114 5.3 Process- to- Brain Explanations 115 5.3.1 Insight 117 5.3.2 Analogical Reasoning 118 5.3.3 Metaphor 119 5.3.4 Conceptual Expansion 120 5.3.5 Overcoming Knowledge Constraints 121 5.3.6 Imagery 122 5.4 Critical Evaluation of Local Explanations 123 6 Neuroscientifi c Methods in the Study of Creativity 126 6.1 Mapping the Brain: Gross Anatomy, Electrical Activity, and Blood Flow 126 6.2 Functional Neuroimaging Methods 130 6.2.1 rCBF via Radioactive Tracer Techniques 131 6.2.2 fMRI 135 6.2.3 fMRI Connectivity 137 6.3 Structural Neuroimaging Methods 139 6.3.1 Surface- Based and Voxel- Based Approaches 140 6.3.2 Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) 141 6.4 Electroencephalogram (EEG) Methods 144 6.4.1 Power 145 6.4.2 Evoked Potentials 148 6.5 Neuromodulation Methods 149 6.5.1 Neuromodulation and Creative Cognition 150 6.6 Issues for Further Consideration 152 7 Unique Problems in the Neuroscientifi c Study of Creativity 155 7.1 Problems? What Problems? 155 7.2 The Problem of Trials 158 7.2.1 Number of Trials 159 7.2.2 Duration of Trials 160 7.3 The Problem of Responses 161 7.3.1 Non- Binary and Subjective Responses 161 7.3.2 Response- Induced Movement 162 7.3.3 Post- Neuroimaging Response Entry 163 7.4 The Problem of Tasks 163 7.4.1 Creativity Task Variability 164 7.4.2 Less- Demanding Control Tasks 164 7.5 The Problem of Groups 165  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press x Contents x 7.6 The Problem of Validity 167 7.7 How to Deal with Problems? 169 8 Musical Creativity 173 8.1 Music and Musicality 173 8.2 Music Perception 176 8.2.1 Rhythm, Pitch, and Affect 176 8.2.2 Post- Training Effects 177 8.3 Music Performance 180 8.3.1 Behavioral Characteristics 181 8.3.2 Brain Basis 182 8.4 Music Composition 184 8.4.1 Behavioral Studies 186 8.4.2 Neuroscientifi c Studies 188 8.5 Musical Improvisation 189 8.5.1 Behavioral Characteristics 190 8.5.2 Brain Correlates 192 8.6 Music and Brain Plasticity 195 9 Literary Creativity 200 9.1 Creativity in Language and Literature 200 9.2 Literary Creativity: Factors, Processes, and Stages 202 9.2.1 Person- Based/ Individual Factors 203 9.2.2 Process and Constraints 205 9.2.3 Stages/ Components of Creative Writing 206 9.3 Language and the Brain 208 9.4 Literary Creativity and the Brain 212 9.4.1 Verbal Divergent Thinking Tasks 214 9.4.2 Metaphor and Other Forms of Semantic Leaps 216 9.4.3 Story Generation 218 9.4.4 Prose 218 9.4.5 Poetry and Lyrics 221 9.5 Issues for Further Consideration 222 10 Visual Artistic Creativity 226 10.1 Visual Art and the Plastic Brain 226 10.2 Information Processing in Visual Artistic Creativity 227 10.2.1 Visuospatial Ability 229 10.2.2 Drawing and Hand– Eye Coordination 231 10.2.3 Imagery 233 10.2.4 Synesthesia 235  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press xi Contents xi 10.3 Visual Artistic Creativity and the Healthy Brain 236 10.3.1 Visual Divergent Thinking 237 10.3.2 Creative Imagery and Drawing 238 10.3.3 Artistic Expertise and Training 241 10.4 Visual Artistic Creativity and the Disordered Brain 242 10.4.1 Brain Injury in Artists 243 10.4.2 Dyslexia 244 10.4.3 De Novo Artistic Profi ciency 245 10.5 Issues for Further Consideration 246 11 Kinesthetic Creativity 250 11.1 Creativity in Body Movement: Is This a Real Thing? 250 11.2 Concepts Relevant to Psychology and Neuroscience 253 11.2.1 Common Coding, Mirror Neurons, and Embodied Cognition 253 11.2.2 Joint Improvisation 254 11.2.3 Flow: The Cornerstone of Kinesthetic Creativity? 255 11.3 Dance 257 11.3.1 Information Processing in Dance 259 11.3.2 Neural Processing in Dance 260 11.3.3 Creativity in Dance: What about Theoretical Viewpoints? 265 11.4 Sports 268 11.4.1 Neural and Information Processing in Sports 269 11.4.2 Creativity in Sports 272 12 Scientifi c Creativity 276 12.1 Scientifi c Creativity is Understudied 276 12.2 Mental Operations Relevant to Scientifi c Creativity 279 12.2.1 Deductive, Inductive, and Abductive Reasoning 279 12.2.2 Analogical and Relational Reasoning 283 12.2.3 Problem Solving and Insight 286 12.2.4 Breadth of Knowledge 289 12.3 Theoretical Views of Scientifi c Creativity 290 12.4 Issues for Further Consideration 292 Afterword – From Cave Art to Latte Art 295 References 297 Index 365 The color plate section can be found between pp. 204 and 205.  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press xii Figures 1.1 Exemplars of scientifi c creativity page 3 1.2 Exemplars of artistic creativity 5 1.3 Defi nitional elements of creativity 8 2.1 Rhodes’s (1961) Four Ps of creativity 25 2.2 Measures of creativity using person- based and product- based approaches 40 2.3 Measures of creativity using the process- based approach 43 3.1 Knowledge storage model 54 3.2 Knowledge access model 56 3.3 Disinhibition model 59 4.1 The Five Ps of creativity 80 4.2 Dual- factor models 82 4.3 Multiple- factor models 95 5.1 Schematic illustrations of relevant brain regions 107 5.2 The default mode network (DMN) and the central executive network (CEN) 108 5.3 The semantic cognition network (SCN) 111 6.1 Functional neuroimaging: examples of studies on creativity 133 6.2 Structural neuroimaging: examples of studies on creativity 142 6.3 EEG: examples of studies on creativity 146 7.1 The problems of trials, tasks, and groups in the neuroscience of creativity 159 7.2 The problem of responses in the neuroscience of creativity 161 7.3 The problem of validity in the neuroscience of creativity 168 8.1 Types of musical creativity 174 8.2 Musical improvisation and composition 185 8.3 A theoretical framework for musical creativity 186 9.1 A model of the creative process during screenplay writing 207 9.2 The language brain network 210 9.3 An example of a creative writing study in an fMRI environment 220 10.1 A model of visuomotor processing 232 10.2 Models of visual artistic creativity 234 10.3 An example of a visual artistic creativity study in an fMRI environment 240 11.1 A processual model of dance semiotics 258  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press xiii Figures xiii 11.2 Models of creativity in dance performance 266 11.3 A model of creative behavior in team sports 273 12.1 Information processing stages in the P- FIT model of intelligence 281 12.2 Models of reasoning 282 12.3 The stages of problem solving in the integrated theory of insight 288  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press xiv Boxes 1.1 Types of Creativity page 4 1.2 Connotations of the Terms “Creativity” and “Creative” 14 1.3 Animal Creativity 20 2.1 Magnitude: Everyday Creativity versus Creative Genius 28 2.2 Does Creativity Involve Both Divergent and Convergent Thinking? 34 2.3 Convergent Creative Thinking Tasks: Contemporary Paradigms 42 3.1 From Stages of Creativity to Dual Systems Theories 62 3.2 Knowledge and Creativity 64 3.3 Types of Knowledge and Contextual Infl uences on Creativity 64 4.1 Savant Abilities: Exceptional Skill or Creativity? 88 4.2 Does Engaging in Artistic Pursuits Equal Creativity? 88 4.3 Creativity: Mental Illness versus Mental Wellbeing 89 5.1 Problems of Interpretation: From My- Favorite- Brain- Region to My- Favorite- Brain- Network 104 5.2 Problems of Interpretation: Which Network- Based Interpretation to Choose? 106 5.3 Interactions between the Processes of Creative Cognition 116 6.1 Angelo Mosso (1884): The First Neuroscientifi c Technique 128 6.2 The Neuropsychological Approach 128 6.3 Neuropsychological Studies of Creativity 129 7.1 What is Left Out? Spontaneous Creativity 156 7.2 What is Left Out? Temporally Extended Forms of Creative Ideation 157 7.3 What is Left Out? Motorically Complex Forms of Creativity 157 8.1 Are You Creative When You Merely Listen to Music? 175 8.2 How to Better Study Musical Creativity? 189 8.3 Musical Training via Behavioral/Neurofeedback 196 9.1 Mental Illness, Substance Abuse, and Creativity 204 9.2 Overcoming Confusion Regarding Literary Creativity 213 9.3 Metaphor Processing in Developmental Disorders 217 10.1 Brain Correlates of Drawing 241 10.2 Dopamine and Creativity 243 10.3 Neuroaesthetics versus Neuroscience of Artistic Creativity 247 11.1 Assessing Creativity in Movement 263  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press xv Boxes xv 11.2 Neurofeedback and Biofeedback in the Performing Arts 264 11.3 The Effects of Physical Exercise on Creativity 270 12.1 Science and the Pursuit of Beauty 278 12.2 Mathematical Creativity 283 12.3 Real- World Scientifi c Creativity: Three Favorable Factors 285  Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-17646-1 — The Neuroscience of Creativity Anna Abraham Frontmatter More Information www.cambridge.org © in this web service Cambridge University Press xvii Preface Our capacity to be creative is a true marvel of nature. We experience it in our daily lives in myriad forms, and we reap the joys and benefi ts of its fruition not only as agents but also as recipients. Creativity is often heralded as representing the epitome of uniquely developed human abil- ities. It is one that we lay a great deal of premium on in our daily lives across all walks of life, and it is essential to human development and pro- gress at every level, from the individual to societal. However, the inher- ently abstract and intricate nature of creative thinking renders a certain mystery and ineffability to its workings. Although relatively new to the enterprise of scientifi c enquiry, neuro- science as a formal discipline is one that has been witness to exponen- tial growth in terms of research output and knowledge that benefi ts all domains of human perception, cognition, and behavior. Creativity is no exception to this revolutionary trend. But it is unique in that the many complexities involved in investigating this astonishingly complex human ability render the explosion of published work in relation to it extremely challenging to understand with suffi cient depth. The objective of this book is to provide a systematic overview of the neuroscience of creativity where the many disparate strands of academic theory and research in the fi eld are integrated and summarized in an accessible manner. In other words, it is aimed to help anyone equipped with nothing but a deep interest in understanding the creative mind fi nd their bearings. It is, in fact, the book I wish I’d had on hand when I began to investigate creativity. A Baedeker Guide to Creativity and the Brain, so to speak. May this resource be a useful guide in your exploration of the creative mind.