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Creativity supports learning through associative thinking

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Veröffentlicht in:NPJ Science of Learning vol. 10, no. 1 (2025), p. 42
1. Verfasser: Luchini, Simone A.
Weitere Verfasser: Kaufman, James C., Goecke, Benjamin, Wilhelm, Oliver, Kenett, Yoed N., Lei, Daisy, Benedek, Mathias, van Hell, Janet G., Beaty, Roger E.
Veröffentlicht:
Nature Publishing Group
Schlagworte:
Language
Memory
Foreign language learning
Cognitive ability
Associative learning
Second language writing
Creativity
Second language learning
Short stories
Educational objectives
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
College students
Cognition
Semantics
21st century
Drawings
Line drawings
Foreign languages
Learning
Intelligence
Ability
Paired Associate Learning
Undergraduate Students
Factor Analysis
Creative Thinking
Prior Learning
Long Term Memory
Learning Processes
Cognitive Processes
Measurement Techniques
Vocabulary Development
Meta Analysis
Verbs
Outcomes of Education
Personality Traits
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Abstract:Creativity is a key 21st-century skill and a consistent predictor of academic learning outcomes. Despite decades of research on creativity and learning, little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underlying their relationship. In two studies, we examined whether creativity supports associative learning through associative thinking—the ability to generate novel word associations—an ability central to creativity which has not been previously tied to associative learning. In Study 1, we found that students who generated more novel word associations learned more words on a foreign language learning test 24 h later. In Study 2, we replicated and extended the effect to naturalistic creativity tasks (i.e., writing short stories and sketching line drawings), finding associative thinking mediated the relationship between creativity and associative learning. Importantly, both studies controlled for general intelligence. Our findings suggest that creativity’s contribution to learning operates partly through a shared cognitive capacity for making new connections.
ISSN:2056-7936
DOI:10.1038/s41539-025-00334-1
Quelle:Health & Medical Collection