How Is Intelligence Test Performance Associated with Creative Achievement? A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a meta-analysis of the links between intelligence test scores and creative achievement. A three-level meta-analysis of 117 correlation coefficients from 30 studies found a correlation of r = .16 (95% CI: .12, .19), closely mirroring previous meta-analytic findings. The estimated effects were stronger for overall creative achievement and achievement in scientific domains than for correlations between intelligence scores and creative achievement in the arts and everyday creativity. No signs of publication bias were found. We discuss theoretical implications and provide recommendations for future studies.

Developmental Histories Facilitating the Emergence of Creative Scientific Expertise: The Role of Developed Cognitive Talents, Education, and Social and Cultural Contexts

“…The relationship between cognitive aptitudes and creative achievement test performance was recently meta-analyzed (Karwowski et al, 2021) and confirms an older meta-analysis (Kim, 2008) on the general population (r = 0.16 and r = 0.21 for unreliability corrected effect size). Specifically for science achievement, Karwowski et al (2021) found that r = 0.19, and that this would be larger when corrected. Overall, this suggests moderate to large effect sizes for individual differences research (Gignac and Szodorai, 2016).…”

“…Beaty et al (2015) also show that these associations increase when the measurement error is accounted for in latent variable models. Karwowski et al (2021) note that a core limitation of the literature reviewed in this area is that much of it has been conducted in the last decade primarily using one measure, the Creative Achievement Questionnaire, which is a self-report instrument (e.g., Carson et al, 2005), and additionally range restriction on the measures used may be an issue.…”

“…Another core limitation that Karwowski et al (2021) acknowledge is their meta-analysis excluded various populations and measures, including intellectually talented or gifted student samples. Much of the research to date illustrating a long-term link between early identified cognitive aptitudes and later creative achievement have been from the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY; Lubinski and Benbow, 2006) of which we will review more findings later.…”

Brain connectivity–based prediction of real-life creativity is mediated by semantic memory structure

“…Last, real-life creativity is not exclusively predicted by semantic memory. Many other internal and external factors are important to creativity, such as personality, motivation, emotions, and environment ( 1 , 68 , 69 ). Despite these other potential dimensions and sources of variability, the brain connectivity patterns allowed us to predict real-life creativity through the individual differences in semantic memory structure, uncovering its strong influence on creative activities and achievements.…”

School Does Not Kill Creativity

“…Some variables are closely associated with both creativity and academic achievement: consider intelligence (Deary et al, 2007) or personality traits, such as openness to experience or conscientiousness (Poropat, 2009). Intelligence is the most robust predictor of academic achievement and a systematic correlate of creative abilities (Gerwig et al, 2021) and creative achievement (Karwowski et al., 2021). Openness is considered “a hungry mind trait” (Von Stumm et al, 2011), driving curiosity for learning and personality fuel of creative functioning (S.…”