Gender and creativity: an overview of psychological and neuroscientific literature

Abstract

The topic of gender differences in creativity generates substantial scientific and public interest, but also courts considerable controversy. Owing to the heterogeneous nature of the findings associated with this line of research, the general picture often appears puzzling or obscure. The present article presents a selective overview of psychological and neuroscientific literature that has a relevant bearing on the theme of gender and creativity. Topics that are explored include the definition and methods of assessing creativity, a summary of behavioral investigations on gender in relation to creativity, postulations that have been forwarded to understand gender differences in creative achievement, gender-based differences in the structure and function of the brain, gender-related differences in behavioral performance on tasks of normative cognition, and neuroscientific studies of gender and creativity. The final section of the overview presents a detailed discussion of the idea that differences between men and women in creative cognition are best explained with reference to the gender-dependent adopted strategies or cognitive style when faced with generative tasks. Gender and Creativity 3Creativity refers to the singularly complex human ability to produce novel ideas, generate new solutions, and express oneself in a unique manner. Although prominent works of art and astounding scientific discoveries are the customary associations that are readily evoked when we consider the concept of creativity, our capacity to be creative is evident in virtually all aspects of human life when engaged in language and communication, choice and decision making, as well as planning and organization (Mark A. Runco & Pritzker, 2011;Sawyer, 2012). While the potential to be creative exists within each person, there is considerable individual variability in both the type and amount of creative output that is eventually produced over our lifetimes. A substantial proportion of the empirical investigations in creativity are directed at uncovering which variables have a positive or negative impact on creativity. Gender is one factor that has been explored in this regard within psychological research. This paper provides a general overview of psychological and neuroscientific research that has a direct or indirect bearing on the topic of gender and creativity. The first part of this paper is devoted to understanding what is meant by creativity in terms of definition and methods of assessment. This is followed by a summary of behavioral findings on gender-related differences in creative thinking and a discussion of the explanations that have been forwarded to understand such differences. Current knowledge concerning gender-based behavioral and neurobiological differences in other (non-creative) aspects of cognition is then explored. In the final part of the paper, implications of findings from neuroscientific studies of gender differences in creative thinking are discussed.Gender and Creativity 4

Evaluación de las competencias profesionales a través de las prácticas externas: incidencia de la creatividad

“…Y por otra parte, dados los resultados obtenidos desde el punto de vista de género, donde la valoración dada tanto por tutores como por alumnos a las mujeres es proporcionalmente más baja que la de los hombres, se puede indagar si existe algún fundamento psicológico, neurológico o social como afirman algunos estudios (Abraham, 2016).…”

An Exploratory Study on the Relationship between Creativity and Processing Speed for Gifted Children

“…However, Baer and Kauffman (2008) highlight the fact that neither biological maleness nor femaleness leads to greater creativity. Furthermore, some researchers related these differences to sociocultural factors (Abraham, 2016;Abra, 1991;Simonton, 1994). For example, Abraham (2016) asserted that several socialization factors such as, gender labeling, different perceptions and expectations for daughters compared to sons, variation in schooling, and over-socialization of girls, restrict the development of creative thinking skills.…”

“…Furthermore, some researchers related these differences to sociocultural factors (Abraham, 2016;Abra, 1991;Simonton, 1994). For example, Abraham (2016) asserted that several socialization factors such as, gender labeling, different perceptions and expectations for daughters compared to sons, variation in schooling, and over-socialization of girls, restrict the development of creative thinking skills. While it is likely that gender differences in creativity are, to a certain extent, the product of social factors, to date, no study has systematically compared the impact of biological factors with that of sociocultural factors on gender differences in creative performances.…”

Creative females have larger white matter structures: Evidence from a large sample study

“…A study reported that the association between creativity and psychopathology differs between sexes, and a positive stronger association is seen among men [Mart ın-Brufau and Corbal an, 2016]. The recent review [Abraham, 2016] summarized the relevant findings for these gender differences. A study reviewing functional magnetic resonance imaging also concluded that during divergent thinking, declarative memory-related regions were strongly activated in men, while regions involved in theory of mind and self-referential processing were more activated in women [Abraham et al, 2014].…”