Conceptual and Measurement Specificity are Key: The Case of Creativity and Emotions

ABSTRACT

How do we know what we know about creativity? This article argues for the importance of specification in defining different aspects of creativity (e.g., creative potential vs. creative behavior) and how they are measured (self-reported vs. externally judged, length of assessment) when making conclusions about creativity-relevant traits and processes. This methodological and conceptual point is illustrated with examples from the study of creativity and emotion. The conclusions about creativity and emotion will depend on specific measures used because different measures capture psychologically distinct aspects of creativity. The article focuses on measures of three aspects of creativity – performance on divergent thinking tests, self-perceived creativity, and reports of creative behavior and achievement. Specific emotion-related predictors are most relevant to different aspects of creativity based on the nature of predictors and outcomes and the match between them. For example, emotion traits describe typical ways of feeling across time and situations and are best suited to predict creative behavior and achievement accrued over long periods of time (e.g., from a year to a lifetime). Without specifying aspects of creativity or referring to creativity as a unitary construct, conclusions drawn can be unhelpful or misleading. Implications for future research are discussed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Work on this article was supported by Fundación Botín (Emotions, Creativity and the Arts grant to Zorana Ivcevic).