Converging creativity through semantic processing

Abstract

Creativity, the ability to engage in abstract thought, novel idea production and concept construction, along with artefacts transcending everyday experience, has long been recognized as a defining feature of human cognition. Creativity has typically been defined as the capacity to generate original, effective, and expressive output. The phenomenon has been examined via diverse theories and methodologies, from psychometric assessments to neurocognitive approaches. We review how semantic processing - the integration and convergence of meaning - has been explored as a mechanism underpinning creative cognition. Research has shown that semantic flexibility and associative richness aid in creative ideation. Recent studies in cognitive neuroscience show that semantic networks and brain regions implicated in memory and language support creative thinking. The paper highlights how converging semantic processes serve to bridge conceptualization and practical measurement. We examine the application of the N400 event-related potential (ERP) method as a neuroscientific measure of semantic integration.