Intelligence, creativity, and cognitive control: The common and differential involvement of executive functions in intelligence and creativity

TLDR

Intelligence and creativity are correlated constructs, implying a shared cognitive foundation. The study aimed to evaluate how updating, shifting, and inhibition relate to fluid intelligence and divergent‑thinking creativity, and whether their inter‑correlation is driven by common executive functions. Using a latent‑variable modeling approach, the authors measured the three executive abilities and modeled their associations with intelligence and creativity. Results showed that updating strongly predicted fluid intelligence, while both updating and inhibition predicted creativity; updating and openness accounted for much of the shared variance, supporting executive involvement in creative thought.

Abstract

Intelligence and creativity are known to be correlated constructs suggesting that they share a common cognitive basis. The present study assessed three specific executive abilities – updating, shifting, and inhibition – and examined their common and differential relations to fluid intelligence and creativity (i.e., divergent thinking ability) within a latent variable model approach. Additionally, it was tested whether the correlation of fluid intelligence and creativity can be explained by a common executive involvement. As expected, fluid intelligence was strongly predicted by updating, but not by shifting or inhibition. Creativity was predicted by updating and inhibition, but not by shifting. Moreover, updating (and the personality factor openness) was found to explain a relevant part of the shared variance between intelligence and creativity. The findings provide direct support for the executive involvement in creative thought and shed further light on the functional relationship between intelligence and creativity.