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ERIC Number: EJ1444257
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-0419
EISSN: EISSN-1532-6934
Limited Imagination: Effects of Constraints and Individual Differences in Working Memory Capacity on Idea Generation
Tim George; Kaila Lasher
Creativity Research Journal, v36 n4 p617-628 2024
Recent evidence suggests that constraints can facilitate creative thinking rather than hinder it. This research tested how individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) affect the creativity of ideas generated under conditions of low and high constraint. Participants generated short sentences with either low or high constraints placed on the choice of initial letters used. Under the high-constraint condition, participants were less likely to successfully produce sentences but the sentences were judged as more creative. There was an interaction between constraint condition and working memory capacity such that WMC and creativity were positively associated in the low constraint condition, but not in the high constraint condition. An examination of strategy reports also indicated that higher WMC participants may have made better use of strategies which were related to higher creativity in the low-constraint condition. This research adds to findings that constraints can be beneficial for creativity, and is consistent with suggestions that WMC enhances efficient search and retrieval from long-term memory and use of strategies.
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: New York
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A