The neurobehavioral relationship between executive function and creativity during early childhood

Abstract

Increasing evidence from behavior and neuroimaging research indicates that executive function (EF) is related to creativity. However, most of these studies focused on adult and adolescent populations. The relationship between EF and creativity is unknown when EF undergoes rapid development during early childhood, due to the preschoolers' marginal skills of expressing their ideas, orally or in writing. Using a nonverbal, open-ended test, the present study examined whether creative thinking was related to cognitive flexibility in young children. Preschool children (N = 26) performed the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) and the Unusual Box Test (UBT), while their brain activation was recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We did not find any significant correlation between children's cognitive flexibility and creative thinking. However, fNIRS analyses showed that children's brain activation in the lateral prefrontal regions was significantly greater during the test phases of the UBT.Additionally, children who strongly recruited their ventrolateral prefrontal regions during the post-switch phases of the DCCS recruited the same regions while performing the UBT. Taken together, these findings suggest that children recruit their lateral prefrontal regions when expressing creative thinking, and that such creative thinking could be partially supported by cognitive flexibility in early childhood.

The Effectiveness of 4MATE Teaching Model in Enhancing Creative Thinking, Attention, and Working Memory in Thai Context

“…The Effectiveness of 4MATE Teaching Model in Enhancing … International Journal of Instruction, October 2023 • Vol.16, No.4 memory function more effectively, creative thinking will be improved (Sternberg, 2012;Marchetti, 2014;Beaty et al, 2014;Sharma & Babu, 2017). Moreover, it is assumed that teaching focusing on executive function training will help develop creative thinking, potentially enabling learners to construct innovative products and other essential skills in the 21st century (Srikoon et al, 2018;Marchetti, 2014;Srikoon, 2021b;Wang et al, 2021;Elfiky, 2022).…”

“…Principal processes of executive function consist are as follows: (1) goal setting, planning, and prioritizing, (2) organizing, (3) retaining and manipulating information in working memory, (4) shifting flexibly, (5) self-monitoring or self-checking (Leanne, 2014). Besides, the neurobehavioral research has uncovered a relationship between executive function and creative thinking (Wang et al, 2021). Specifically, one must incorporate executive function training in learning activities to enhance learning outcomes, especially creative thinking, attention, and working memory.…”

“…The 4MATE model was developed based on two major approaches, the 4MAT teaching model and executive function training. A review of literature was carried out, focusing on two topics, namely the 4MAT teaching model (McCarthy, 1990;McCarthy et al, 2002;Alanazi, 2020;Sabry et al, 2021) and executive function training (Meltzer, 2010;Leanne, 2014;Wang et al, 2021). Afterwards, the prototype of the 4MATE teaching model was constructed.…”

Developing Creative Thinking in Preschool Children: A Comprehensive Review of Innovative

“…Flexible thinking allows children to adapt their thinking and actions to suit changing situations. Furthermore, this ability serves as the foundation for developing creative thinking skills because it empowers children to explore various ideas, concepts, and different perspectives to enhance creativity (Harasymiv, 2022;J. Wang et al, 2021).…”