The Contributions of Creative Cognition and Schizotypal Symptoms to Creative Achievement

Abstract

Although previous research has suggested that people with subclinical levels of schizophrenic symptoms achieve a greater number of creative accomplishments, the contention that there is a creative cognitive advantage in schizotypy has received mixed support. It was hypothesized that accounting for complex relationships between (a) creative cognition abilities (moderated relationships), and (b) creative cognition and schizotypy variables (mediated, moderated, and curvilinear relationships) would significantly increase the ability to predict creative performance and provide a more accurate survey of the schizotypic creative cognitive advantage. One hundred and fourteen participants completed a creative problem solving measure, measures of cognitive creative abilities (Remote Associates Test, a divergent thinking task, and a deductive reasoning task) and measures of positive and negative symptoms of schizotypy. Regression analyses supported the conception of a multistage process in which creative cognition variables interact with each other to predict performance on a creative problem solving task. There was no evidence of a creative cognitive advantage in schizotypy: People high in schizotypy performing the same or worse than people reporting few schizotypic symptoms on measures of creative cognition and creative problem solving performance. If people with schizotypy are, indeed, more creative than those without, it is because of factors other than the cognitive processes surveyed in this investigation.

Acknowledgments

I thank John Jamieson and Brian O'Connor for their valuable feedback on this project, Chris Mushquash for technical assistance with data gathering, and Stephanie Sheeler for assistance with scoring and data management.

Notes

Note. CPS = creative problem solving, RAT = Remote Associates Test. Numbers 1–5 represent creative achievement variables, whereas 6–9 represent creative cognitive abilities.

*p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. Dependent variable = CPS Total.

*p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. Dependent variable = CPS total.

*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note. SA = social anhedonia; PhA = physical anhedonia; MI = magical ideation; PA = perceptual aberration; CPS = creative problem solving.

*p < .05.

Note. Dependent variable = CPS total.

*p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. Dependent variable = CPS total.

*p < .05.