Allusive thinking (remote associations) and auditory top-down inhibition skills differentially predict creativity and positive schizotypy

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Positive schizotypy and creativity seem to be linked. However, the question still remains why they are related, and what may make the difference? As creative ideation is hypothesised as a dual process (association and inhibition), the propensity for remote associations might be a shared mechanism. However, positive schizotypy and creative thinking might be differentially linked to inhibition. Therefore, this study investigated a potentially overlapping feature of positive schizotypy and creativity (remote associations) as well as a potential dissociative factor (auditory inhibition).

Methods: From a large screening sample, 46 participants covering a broad range of positive schizotypy were selected. Association proneness was assessed via two association tasks, auditory inhibition skill with the forced-left condition of the Dichotic Listening Test, and creative thinking by means of two creative ideation tests.

Results: Positive schizotypy and creative thinking were positively associated. Both traits were linked to lower rates of common associations. However, creative thinking was associated with higher and positive schizotypy with lower inhibitory control in the auditory domain.

Conclusions: While creativity and positive schizotypy shared some variance (related to remote associations), profound inhibition skills may be vital for creative performance and may coincide with lower levels of positive schizotypy.

KEYWORDS:

• Remote associations
• allusive thinking
• positive schizotypy
• auditory top-down inhibition
• creativity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Christian Rominger http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3195-4555

Notes

1 Statistical results remain unchanged when only the two subscales Magical Thinking and Unusual Perceptual Experiences of the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire, which are similar to the items of the Unusual Experiences subscale of the O-Life (see Klein et al., 1997), are taken to make up the schizotypy score for excluding items related to cognitive disorganisation.