Subjective valuation as a domain-general process in creative thinking

Is a talented painter also a proficient writer? The ongoing discourse on whether creativity operates through domain-general or domain-specific mechanisms has led to challenges in our understanding of the creative process. Prior research suggests that creativity comprises two phases: idea generation and evaluation. A recent framework has proposed that the evaluation phase involves a valuation process which occurs upstream of the selection of an idea. In this framework, the value assigned to an idea, i.e., how much one likes an idea, energizes its production and drives its selection. While the role of valuation has been demonstrated in verbal semantic creativity, its domain generality remains to be tested. In this study, we assessed whether valuation is a domain-general or domain-specific process. Seventy-three participants engaged in three creativity tasks (producing semantic associations, alternate object uses, and drawings) followed by rating tasks. Using computational modeling, we found that a consistent valuation mechanism governs idea valuation across different domains. Specifically, the same value function and value parameters were shared across the evaluation of word associations, object uses and drawing completions. These findings advance our understanding of the evaluation phase of creativity, portraying the valuation component as inherently domain-general. Identifying such core components of creative ideation contributes to elucidating the cognitive mechanisms underlying creativity and provides empirical support for including valuation as a core process in creativity.