Creative Thinking: A Mode Shifting Hypothesis

..................................................................................................................................... ii Table of contents ....................................................................................................................... iv Index of tables ........................................................................................................................... vi Index of figures ......................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1How does this thesis seek to further our understanding of the relationship between creativity and shifting between modes of thought? ................................................................... 1 Definition of creativity ........................................................................................................... 1 What do we mean by different modes of thinking? ............................................................... 2 Different modes of thinking versus different types of thinking ............................................. 5 Conceptions of the process of shifting and its relationship to creativity ............................... 9 Comparisons of different theoretical accounts of shifting within dual-process theories of creativity ............................................................................................................................ 9 Theoretical accounts of switching within dual-process theories of cognition ................. 16 Shifting between different modes /switching between different types of thinking and cognitive flexibility ........................................................................................................... 18 The relationship between persistence, shifting between modes of thinking and creativity .......................................................................................................................................... 21 How will this thesis further our understanding of the relationship between creativity and shifting between modes of thought? .................................................................................... 22 Chapter 2The relationship between creativity and repeatedly shifting between different modes of thinking in a task-switching paradigm ..................................................................... 24 Method ................................................................................................................................. 28 Section outlining general statistical decisions ..................................................................... 38 Overall Results ..................................................................................................................... 39 General Discussion .............................................................................................................. 67 Chapter 3Development of a novel self-report measure of shifting between modes of thinking .................................................................................................................................... 76 Method ................................................................................................................................. 82 Results .................................................................................................................................. 88 General Discussion ............................................................................................................ 116 Chapter 4Assessing the validity of a novel self-report measure of shifting between modes of thinking .................................................................................................................................. 124 Method ............................................................................................................................... 125 Results ................................................................................................................................ 156 Discussion .......................................................................................................................... 200