The neurobehavioral relationship between executive function and creativity during early childhood.
Jue Wang1, Chifumi Sakata1, Yusuke Moriguchi1
1Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Developmental Psychobiology
|October 21, 2021
Summary
Executive function (EF) and creativity in young children are linked to lateral prefrontal cortex activation. Cognitive flexibility in early childhood may support creative thinking, though direct correlations were not found.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Executive function (EF) is linked to creativity in adults and adolescents.
- The relationship between EF and creativity in early childhood is understudied due to developmental limitations in expression.
- Preschoolers' cognitive development and creative thinking require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between cognitive flexibility and creative thinking in preschoolers.
- To investigate the neural correlates of creative thinking in early childhood using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
- To explore the role of lateral prefrontal cortex activation in creative tasks.
Main Methods:
- Nonverbal, open-ended tests were used for creative thinking assessment.
- Preschool children (N=26) completed the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and Unusual Box Test (UBT).
- Brain activity was measured using fNIRS during task performance.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between cognitive flexibility and creative thinking.
- fNIRS revealed greater brain activation in lateral prefrontal regions during the Unusual Box Test.
- Children showing ventrolateral prefrontal recruitment during DCCS also recruited these areas during the UBT.
Conclusions:
- Preschoolers recruit lateral prefrontal regions for creative thinking.
- Cognitive flexibility may partially support creative thinking in early childhood.
- fNIRS provides insights into the neural basis of creativity in young children.
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