Creativity and Memory: Effects of an Episodic-Specificity Induction on Divergent Thinking
Kevin P Madore1, Donna Rose Addis2, Daniel L Schacter3
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University Center for Brain Science, Harvard University madore@fas.harvard.edu.
Psychological Science
|July 25, 2015
Summary
Recollecting past events enhances future thinking and creative problem-solving. This study shows that training in episodic specificity boosts divergent creative thinking, linking episodic memory to creativity.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Creativity Research
Background:
- Episodic memory, the recollection of specific past events, is crucial for imagining future events and problem-solving.
- Previous research indicates that enhancing episodic detail recall improves prospective thinking and means-end problem-solving.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether an episodic-specificity induction enhances divergent creative thinking.
- To determine if this effect is specific to divergent thinking or a general cognitive enhancement.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent either an episodic-specificity induction (recalling detailed past events) or a control induction.
- Performance was assessed on divergent thinking tasks (unusual uses for objects) and control tasks (object association, convergent thinking).
Main Results:
- The episodic-specificity induction selectively enhanced performance on the divergent thinking task compared to the control induction.
- No significant differences were observed on tasks believed to involve less divergent thinking (object association, convergent thinking).
Conclusions:
- Episodic memory plays a role in divergent creative thinking.
- Episodic-specificity training offers a novel method to enhance creative ideation and problem-solving abilities.
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