Is Strategy Creative? Creative Capacity Building, Executive Functioning, and Strategy

Studies suggest that individuals with greater creative potential have enhanced executive function. This dissertation examined the hypothesis that a creativity training intervention would increase both low and high-level executive functions. Fifteen participants completed a 5-week creative capacity building program (CCBP) and 15 participants completed a control intervention consisting of a parallel 5-week language capacity building training program (LCBP). Goal-directed attention and processing speed were measured with the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) color-word interference test (CWIT). Results revealed higher scores post-training associated with CCBP compared to LCBP on the primary D-KEFS measure of combined completion time for color-naming and word-reading conditions, and the primary contrast measure of combined completion time for color-naming and word-reading compared to completion time for inhibition switching. Relative to LCBP, CCBP leads to improvement performance on measures reflecting lower-level executive functions (goal-directed attention and information processing) as opposed to higher-level executive functions, which showed no between-group differences. A secondary set of analyses tested the hypothesis that strategy use on baseline measures of visual fluency would be related to measures of global cognitive and executive functioning, and creative capacity. We assessed strategy use on the D-KEFS Design Fluency test, a commonly used assessment of executive functioning for which strategy use has not been examined. Thirty-six healthy participants took part in the secondary analyses. We measured cognitive functioning with the WASI-II, executive functioning with the D-KEFS CWIT, and working memory with the WAIS-IV digit span test. Participants were divided into two groups: those who did vs. did not use a strategy. MANOVA revealed group differences on VIQ, PIQ, FSIQ, CWIT inhibition, and CWIT inhibition/switching on the switching condition. Spearman's rho correlations revealed significant relationships between the ratio of strategy-based designs on the switching condition and VIQ, PIQ, FSIQ, CWIT inhibition, and CWIT inhibition/switching. Strategy users performed lower on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, Figural Version (TTCT-F) resistance to closure subscale. Results indicate that individuals who use a greater number of strategies on executive functioning tasks display enhanced executive functioning, exhibit higher cognitive functioning, and are less resistant to closure.