ERIC Number: EJ1413066
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-0419
EISSN: EISSN-1532-6934
Divergent but Not Convergent Thinking Mediates the Trait Emotional Intelligence-Real-World Creativity Link: An Empirical Study
Marco Giancola; Massimiliano Palmiero; Simonetta D'Amico
Creativity Research Journal, v36 n1 p15-23 2024
The current research looks at creativity as a construct resulting from a blend of interacting individual resources and investigates, in a sample of 63 young adults, the extent to which real-world creative production is supported by trait emotional intelligence (EI), through creative thinking, including both divergent thinking (DT) and convergent thinking (CT). This study hypothesizes a parallel mediation model, with trait EI as the independent variable, DT and CT as the mediators, and creative production as the dependent variable. Trait EI is evaluated using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Version, DT and CT are assessed by the Alternative Uses Task and the Remote Associates test, respectively, whereas real-world creative production by the Visual Creative Synthesis Task. Results reveal that only DT fully mediated the relationship between trait EI and real-world creativity. These findings suggest that trait EI, encompassing well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability, involves a better DT ability, which in turn increases the likelihood of producing a creative invention. The failure of the mediating role of CT is explained considering the different demands of flexibility, exploration of alternatives, and attentional resources between DT and CT. Future directions are also discussed.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Young Adults, Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, Creative Thinking, Convergent Thinking
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Remote Associates Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A