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A Positive Association between Working Memory Capacity and Human Creativity: A Meta-Analytic Evidence
Zheng Gong1,2, Kuan Miao1,2, Xuerong Liu1,2
1School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Journal of Intelligence
|January 20, 2023
Summary
This meta-analysis confirms a positive link between working memory capacity (WMC) and creativity. The association holds across different WMC types and is stronger in Asian cultural contexts.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Creativity Research
Background:
- Creativity is vital for societal and scientific advancement.
- Working memory capacity (WMC) is theorized to support creativity.
- Previous research on the WMC-creativity link yields conflicting results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively synthesize the association between WMC and creativity.
- To explore if the association varies across different WMC types (verbal, visual-spatial, dual-task).
- To investigate the moderating role of cultural context.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a meta-analysis of 28 studies.
- Utilized random-effects models to pool effect sizes.
- Performed subgroup analyses based on WMC category and cultural context.
Main Results:
- A significant positive linear association was found between WMC and creativity (r = .083, p < .001).
- This positive association was consistent across verbal, visual-spatial, and dual-task WMC.
- A stronger WMC-creativity correlation was observed in participants from Asian cultural contexts.
Conclusions:
- This meta-analysis provides robust evidence for a positive relationship between WMC and creativity.
- The findings clarify previous inconsistencies in the literature.
- Cultural factors, particularly Asian contexts, may enhance the WMC-creativity association.
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