Investigating age-related differences in semantic control mechanisms involved in creative cognition

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Gerontology

Background:

• Creative thinking is a complex cognitive process involving multiple systems.
• The specific role of semantic control processes in creativity is not fully understood.
• Investigating age-related differences in semantic and executive functions is crucial for understanding creativity across the lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how individual differences in semantic knowledge and control influence divergent and convergent creative thinking.
• To explore age-related variations in semantic and executive abilities and their impact on creativity.
• To investigate the distinct roles of controlled retrieval and semantic selection in creative thinking.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 63 younger and 64 older adults.
• Assessment of semantic knowledge, semantic control (controlled retrieval, semantic selection), executive functions, and creative thinking (divergent and convergent).
• Statistical analyses including regression to identify predictors of creative thinking.

Main Results:

• Younger adults excelled in executive functioning; older adults demonstrated superior semantic knowledge, controlled retrieval, and convergent thinking.
• No significant age differences were found in divergent thinking metrics (originality, uniqueness).
• Semantic knowledge and executive updating predicted convergent thinking across age groups, while semantic control predicted divergent thinking only in younger adults.

Conclusions:

• Divergent and convergent thinking may depend on different facets of semantic cognition.
• Semantic control processes are key to divergent thinking, particularly in younger individuals.
• The interplay between semantic and executive abilities in creativity shifts across the lifespan, reflecting age-related cognitive changes.