Explorations of Creativity

Much of the creativity research thus far has been academic, with few immediate applications. One reason has been the complexity of concepts. It is difficult to generalize findings to the entire population, or even to clearly defined groups of people. Furthermore, most research has originated in North America and has been conducted on conveniently available samples of people rather than representative populations. • Additional research is needed to validate prominent findings and disentangle cultural from biological and from memory-related variables. • Research should also aim to understand better the advantages and limitations of lower-income populations in creativity and innovation. • One of the many issues that must be researched is the progression from the different levels of creativity, from ‘little-c’ to ‘Pro-c’ and to ‘Big-C’ for instance. Though ‘Big-C’ appears to be qualitatively different, certain educationally accomplished people probably perform at the level of ‘Big-C’ in earlier centuries. • Certain studies have shown that it is possible to enhance fluid intelligence* through practice. However, much more research is needed to understand the conditions under which the effect will be sustainable and available to users. Advances in neuroimaging and the biological mechanisms related to creativity will probably drive significant research in the future and result in more specific recommendations.