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Published on: March 27, 2019
Music-induced spontaneous thought reflects individual differences in creativity
Benjamin M Kubit1, Peter Benson1, Cara Turnbull2
1Department of Music, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America.
Cognition
|July 16, 2026
Summary
Music-induced imagination reliably predicts creativity. People
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Music Psychology
Background:
- Creativity measurement is challenging due to its link to stimulus-independent thought processes like imagination.
- Music listening offers a unique avenue to study spontaneous thought, as it often prompts imagined scenarios.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if music-induced imaginings can predict individual differences in creativity.
- To explore the relationship between spontaneous thought during music listening and established creativity measures.
Main Methods:
- Two studies involving 466 participants who listened to music excerpts and described imagined stories.
- Participants completed the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT), a standard creativity assessment.
- Natural language processing (NLP) was used to analyze the content of imagined stories for Originality, Appropriateness, and Elaboration.
Main Results:
- Scores on the TTCT reliably predicted Elaboration and Appropriateness in music-induced imaginings.
- This suggests more creative individuals generate spontaneous thoughts more aligned with cultural associations.
- Music-induced imaginings serve as a valid indicator of trait creativity.
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous thought processes during music listening reflect individual creativity levels.
- This research opens possibilities for more naturalistic and accessible creativity assessment methods.
- Tailoring creativity measures to specific socio-cultural backgrounds is feasible.
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