The development of the Creative Process: the role of semantic memory networks in adulthood and childhood

A creative product is the result of a dynamic, multi-stage creative process. In a previous work, we highlighted the evolving nature of the creative process by demonstrating that high performance in each stage of the process is a necessary prerequisite for success in the subsequent one. Moreover, in the same study, we extended the role of semantic memory networks beyond ideation, demonstrating the influence of semantic memory organization on each stage (i.e., information selection, idea generation, idea evaluation) of the creative process. However, in this study, we focused solely on the young adult population, leaving room for doubt regarding potential differences in the dynamics of the creative process and its relationship with semantic memory during childhood. The presentation will address this question, exploring the creative process dynamics and relationship with semantic memory networks in childhood. Participants (N = 161, Age = 10-11) completed the Creative Process Task (CPT), a novel task designed to assess performance in three different creative process stages: information selection, ideation, and evaluation. Additionally, semantic memory networks were estimated via two free association tasks. The data analysis is now ongoing and is focusing on the replication of the analysis already completed on young adults. The analyses consist of a Necessary Condition Analysis to test the evolving nature of the creative process, and of a computational network analysis to test the role of semantic memory networks in different stages of the process. We plan to present the first results during the presentation. This contribution will help to clear the dynamics of the creative process in childhood, highlighting potential differences and commonalities between the adult and childhood populations in the cognitive mechanisms and factors involved in the process.