Abstract

For psychologists and neuroscientists of creativity, the first step towards uncovering the neurocognitive basis of this incredible ability is to settle on which empirical approach to adopt. The choices are vast. The dominant approach views creativity as a unitary and domain-general construct. Alternative approaches vary in their focus. Some take on a multidimensional view of creativity in evaluating diverse creative mental operations. This talk explores how the chosen path of investigation necessarily impacts wider conceptualizations of the creative brain and why we need to be cognizant of the same. Also discussed are the unique challenges of adopting the neuroscientific perspective in examining creativity as well as the unusual insights this union affords.

Bio: Anna Abraham is a Professor of Psychology in Leeds Beckett University. She investigates the neurocognitive basis of creativity and other aspects of the human imagination including the reality-fiction distinction, mental time travel, self-referential thinking and mental state reasoning. Her educational background is in the disciplines of psychology and neuroscience, and she has studied and worked in several academic institutions across the world. She is the author of the 2018 book, The Neuroscience of Creativity, with Cambridge University Press. For more information, please visit her website: http://www.anna-abraham.com/