Implications of large-sample neuroimaging studies of creativity measured by divergent thinking

In this review, we review recent studies that have investigated the neural bases of individual differences in creativity measured by divergent thinking (CMDT and relevant cognitive characteristics) with large samples (N > several hundreds) and reviews. The effect sizes of all observed correlations in these studies were weak. In some findings of volumetry, globally spread weak effects were observed. In some other findings, significant and robust interactions between sex and CMDT were observed, in particular for structural and functional connectivity analyses. In accordance with our findings, we suggest that, overall, an increased sample size, combined with robust statistics or meta-analytic approaches, are important to reveal a comprehensive picture of the neural bases of individual differences in CMDT in this field.

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