Cortical correlates of creative thinking assessed by the figural Torrance Test of Creative Thinking

The unity and diversity of verbal and visuospatial creativity: Dynamic changes in hemispheric lateralisation

The investigation of similarities and differences in the mechanisms of verbal and visuospatial creative thinking has long been a controversial topic. Prior studies found that visuospatial creativity was primarily supported by the right hemisphere, whereas verbal creativity relied on the interaction between both hemispheres. However, creative thinking also involves abundant dynamic features that may have been ignored in the previous static view. Recently, a new method has been developed that measures hemispheric laterality from a dynamic perspective, providing new insight into the exploration of creative thinking. In the present study, dynamic lateralisation index was calculated with resting-state fMRI data. We combined the dynamic lateralisation index with sparse canonical correlation analysis to examine similarities and differences in the mechanisms of verbal and visuospatial creativity. Our results showed that the laterality reversal of the default mode network, fronto-parietal network, cingulo-opercular network and visual network contributed significantly to both verbal and visuospatial creativity and consequently could be considered the common neural mechanisms shared by these creative modes. In addition, we found that verbal creativity relied more on the language network, while visuospatial creativity relied more on the somatomotor network, which can be considered a difference in their mechanism. Collectively, these findings indicated that verbal and visuospatial creativity may have similar mechanisms to support the basic creative thinking process and different mechanisms to adapt to the specific task conditions. These findings may have significant implications for our understanding of the neural mechanisms of different types of creative thinking.

The effect of 8 weeks of child designed vs teacher designed games on physical fitness and creativity in children 8-10 years

A healthy and active lifestyle should start from an early age, as habits learned in childhood are more likely to endure. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of child-designed games and teacher-designed games on the physical fitness and creativity of children aged 8-10 years. Thirty children participating in a sports club were randomly divided into two groups: teacher-designed games (TDG) and child-designed games (CDG). Subjects practiced two sessions per week for eight weeks, each session lasting 60 min. Fitness factors, such as strength, muscle endurance, aerobic fitness, agility, speed, and creativity were assessed by valid tests before and after the protocols. A repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The TDG intervention led to a significant improvement in KTK (37.1% vs. -3.2%) and agility (-3.7% vs. -0.4%) compared to CDG intervention, while CDG intervention was associated with a significant improvement in aerobic capacity (10.1% vs. 3.6%) and in the elaboration of creativity test (23.3% vs. 8.6%). Both groups demonstrated substantial improvements in handgrip strength, static balance, long jump, flexibility, core endurance, and creativity tests, with no significant difference between groups. There were no significant changes in anthropometric features following the intervention. The implementation of combined teacher-designed and child-designed approaches in children's classrooms, in addition to promoting all aspects of physical fitness, may be effective in enhancing physical fitness and creativity.