Research
Areas/Topics:
I study creativity and other aspects of the human imagination from neuroscientific perspectives (brain structure & function) as well as psychological perspectives (cognition, perception, action, motivation, emotion). I employ a multidisciplinary lens of analysis where possible. The domains under study include:
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||| A selection of papers that directly cover the following themes |||
My work emphasizes the value in taking a multilevel approach to the study of the imagination: by considering multiple aspects of the imagination in tandem, by examining the nature of the imagination from multiple disciplinary lenses, and by reflecting on the multifaceted structure of processes at play (from basic to complex planes) that underpin the imagination. Abraham A [Ed] (2020). The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination. Cambridge University Press. Abraham A (2016). The imaginative mind. Human Brain Mapping, 37, 4197-4211. Abraham A & Bubic A (2015). Semantic memory as the root of imagination. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 325:1-4.
--- I have proposed the BLINCS model to explain how we tell apart reality and fiction in our daily lives. --- My empirical work shows that the reality-fiction distinction is maintained at least in part by personal significance. We code fiction as fact, whereas reality is coded in relation to our personal and social experiences. Abraham A (2022). How we tell apart fiction from reality. American Journal of Psychology. Abraham A, von Cramon DY & Schubotz RI (2008). Meeting George Bush versus meeting Cinderella: The neural response when telling apart what is real from what is fictional in the context of our reality. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20 (6), 965-976. Abraham A & von Cramon DY (2009) Reality = Relevance? Insights from spontaneous modulations of the brain’s default network when telling apart reality from fiction. PLoS ONE, 4(3), e4741: 1-9. Abraham A (2013). The world according to me: Personal relevance and the medial prefrontal cortex. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 341: 1-4. Abraham A (2015). How social dynamics shape our understanding of reality. In J. E. Warnick & D. Landis (Eds.) Neuroscience in Intercultural Contexts (pp. 243-246). New York: Springer.
My work argues against the classic episodic-semantic memory distinction by showing significant overlaps in brain engagement of default mode brain network regions when thinking about the non-personal future (semantic prospection or future thinking), personal future (episodic prospection of future thinking), as well as the personal past (episodic retrospection or past thinking). Abraham A, Schubotz RI & von Cramon DY (2008). Thinking about the future versus the past in personal and non-personal contexts. Brain Research, 1233, 106-119. Bubic A & Abraham A (2014). Neurocognitive bases of future oriented cognition. Review of Psychology, 21(1), 3-15. Abraham A & Bubic A (2015). Semantic memory as the root of imagination. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 325:1-4.
I have examined theory of mind or mentalizing relevant processes from the standpoint of higher-order intentionality and belief versus desire mental states. Abraham A, Werning M, Rakoczy H, von Cramon DY & Schubotz RI (2008). Minds, persons, and space: An fMRI investigation into the relational complexity of higher-order intentionality. Consciousness and Cognition, 17 (2), 438-450. Abraham A, Rakoczy H, Werning M, von Cramon DY & Schubotz RI (2010). Matching mind to world and vice versa: Functional dissociations between belief and desire mental state processing. Social Neuroscience, 5 (1), 1-18. Abraham A & Bubic A (2015). Semantic memory as the root of imagination. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 325:1-4.
Contrasting explicitly self-based vs. non-self-based aspects of the imagination is the common factor that underlies many different aspects of my work. Abraham A, Schubotz RI & von Cramon DY (2008) Thinking about the future versus the past in personal and non-personal contexts. Brain Research, 1233, 106-119. Abraham A, Kaufmann C, Redlich R, Hermann A, Stark R, Stevens S & Hermann C (2013). Self-referential and anxiety-relevant information processing in subclinical social anxiety: An fMRI study. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 7 (1), 35-48. Abraham A (2013). The world according to me: Personal relevance and the medial prefrontal cortex. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 341: 1-4. Abraham A & Bubic A (2015). Semantic memory as the root of imagination. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 325:1-4.
--- I have examined information processing mechanisms (attention, learning and behavior) in the context of social phobia. --- My work also points to importance of how we view our social world in understanding the reality-fiction distinction. Abraham A & Hermann C (2015). Biases in probabilistic category learning in relation to social anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1218: 1-12. Abraham A, Kaufmann C, Redlich R, Hermann A, Stark R, Stevens S & Hermann C (2013). Self-referential and anxiety-relevant information processing in subclinical social anxiety: An fMRI study. Brain Imaging and Behavior, 7 (1), 35-48. Stevens S, Peters A, Abraham A & Hermann C (2014). Enhanced avoidance behavior in social anxiety: Evidence from a probabilistic learning task. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 45 (1), 39-45. Abraham A (2015). How social dynamics shape our understanding of reality. In J. E. Warnick & D. Landis (Eds.) Neuroscience in Intercultural Contexts (pp. 243-246). New York: Springer.
Given the replication crisis that pervades the life sciences and social sciences and the startling implications it has on our ability to derive meaning from research, I have made replication efforts a key component of my focus as a researcher. Abraham A, Rutter B & Hermann C (2021). Conceptual expansion via novel metaphor processing: An ERP replication and extension study examining individual differences in creativity. Brain and Language, 221: 105007. Abraham A, Rutter B, Bantin T & Hermann C (2018). Creative conceptual expansion: A combined fMRI replication and extension study to examine individual differences in creativity. Neuropsychologia, 118, 29-39.
Studies on cohorts of adolescents and young adults (aged 14-20 years) have indicated that the constellation of predictors of creativity (both individual and contextual) differ across measures of creativity. Openness to experience is the most consistent predictor across creativity measures and Engagement in Creative Hobbies is an valuable predictor of peak originality. Asquith SA, Wang X, Quintana D & Abraham A (2022). Predictors of Creativity in Young People: Using Frequentist and Bayesian Approaches in Estimating the Importance of Individual and Contextual Factors. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 16(2), 209–220.
Older adults (60-80 year olds) outperform younger adults (on 18-30 year olds) in divergent thinking tasks by generating a greater number of responses (fluency), more unique responses (average originality, peak originality, creativity ratings) and more varied responses (flexibility).This suggests that older adults are better at practical creative problem solving. Ahmed H, Pauly-Takacs K & Abraham A (2023). Evaluating the effects of episodic and semantic memory induction procedures on divergent thinking in younger and older adults. PLoS ONE, 18(6): e0286305.
I also carry out direct critiques of published work (theoretical perspectives; empirical studies) in the field of creativity and the imagination. Abraham A (2021). The Problem of Equating Content with Process in the Mythopoetic Model. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture, 5 (2), 33-36. Abraham A (2021). The ingredients of the creative mind. American Journal of Psychology, 134 (1), 107-110. Abraham A (2016). Commentary: Creativity and Memory: Effects of an Episodic-Specificity Induction on Divergent Thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 824: 1-3. Abraham A (2007). Can a neural system geared to bring about rapid, predictive and efficient function explain creativity? Creativity Research Journal, 19 (1), 19-24. |
--- I have emphasized the critical role played by the semantic & cognitive control brain networks in creativity, particularly in the generation of original ideas. --- I proposed the distinction between global & local approaches in neuroscience of creativity, and have made a case for the neuroscience of creativity to be considered the 5th P approach to creativity (physiology). --- I have argued for the necessity of considering the context or situatedness of the creative ideation process. Abraham A (2014). Creative thinking as orchestrated by semantic processing versus cognitive control brain networks. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 95: 1-4. Abraham A & Bubic A (2015). Semantic memory as the root of imagination. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 325:1-4. Abraham A (2018). The Neuroscience of Creativity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781316629611. Abraham A (2018). The forest versus the trees: Creativity, cognition and imagination. In R. E. Jung & O. Vartanian (Eds.) Cambridge Handbook of the Neuroscience of Creativity. Cambridge University Press. Abraham A (2022). Creativity or creativities? Why context matters. Design Studies, 78: 101060
--- I have designed several novel experimental paradigms to study creative cognition both directly (e.g., Abraham et al., 2012, 2018) and obliquely (e.g. the Kröger et al. & Rutter et al. studies). All point to the importance of semantic cognition & cognitive control brain networks as well as their relevant neural markers (e.g., N400) in the generation of creative ideas. --- My work shows that individual differences in creativity play out on two planes: at the level of semantic integration processes & at the level of the structure of knowledge organization (Abraham, 2021). Comparisons of high and low creative groups also point to the added role of the salience network in creative ideation in the case of highly creative individuals (Abraham, 2018). Abraham A, Rutter B & Hermann C (2021). Conceptual expansion via novel metaphor processing: An ERP replication and extension study examining individual differences in creativity. Brain and Language, 221: 105007. Abraham A, Rutter B, Bantin T & Hermann C (2018). Creative conceptual expansion: A combined fMRI replication and extension study to examine individual differences in creativity. Neuropsychologia, 118, 29-39. Abraham A, Pieritz K, Thybusch K, Rutter B, Kröger S, Schweckendiek J, Stark R, Windmann S & Hermann C (2012). Creativity and the brain: Uncovering the neural signature of conceptual expansion. Neuropsychologia, 50 (8), 1906-17. Kröger S, Rutter B, Hill H, Windmann S, Hermann C & Abraham A (2013). An ERP study of passive creative conceptual expansion using a modified alternate uses task. Brain Research, 1527: 189-98. Kröger S, Rutter B, Stark R, Windmann S, Hermann C & Abraham A (2012). Using a shoe as a plant pot: Neural correlates of passive conceptual expansion. Brain Research, 1430, 52-61. Rutter B, Kröger S, Hill H, Windmann S, Hermann C & Abraham A (2012). Can clouds dance? Part 2: An ERP investigation of passive conceptual expansion. Brain and Cognition, 80 (3), 301-310. Rutter B, Kröger S, Stark R, Schweckendiek J, Windmann S, Hermann C & Abraham A (2012). Can clouds dance? A new approach to investigate neural correlates of creativity using unusual metaphors in an fMRI setting. Brain and Cognition, 78 (2), 114-122.
--- My work provides detailed guidelines for researchers on how to design sound empirical paradigms and critical factors to bear in mind when adopting a neuroscientific approach to creativity. --- I have also designed a new dependent measure for the alternate uses task - peak originality - which refers to the propensity to generate many highly original responses (Abraham, Asquith et al. 2019, Asquith et al., in press). Abraham A (2013). The promises and perils of the neuroscience of creativity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 246: 1-9. Abraham A (2018). The Neuroscience of Creativity. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781316629611. Abraham A & Windmann S (2007) Creative cognition: The diverse operations and the prospect of applying a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Methods, 42 (1), 38-48. Asquith SA, Wang X, Quintana D & Abraham A (in press). Predictors of Creativity in Young People: Using Frequentist and Bayesian Approaches in Estimating the Importance of Individual and Contextual Factors. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Abraham A, Asquith S, Ahmed H & Bourisly AK (2019). Comparing the efficacy of four brief inductions in boosting short-term creativity. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 3 (1), 85-93.
--- I argue for viewing creativity as a disease-resistant capacity of the human brain. --- Neuropsychological work allows us to pinpoint the roles played by single brain regions in the creative process. My work has shown that selective disadvantages and advantages in creative cognition can come about from specific brain insufficiencies. The necessity and value in adopt multiple tasks of creativity in single studies is evidenced in my neuropsychological studies. Abraham A (2019). The neuropsychology of creativity. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 27, 71-76. Abraham A, Beudt S, Ott DV & von Cramon DY (2012). Creative cognition and the brain: Dissociations between frontal, parieto-temporal and basal ganglia groups. Brain Research, 1482, 55-70. Abraham A, Windmann S, McKenna PJ & Güntürkün O (2007). Creative thinking in schizophrenia: The role of executive dysfunction and symptom severity. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 12 (3), 235-258. Abraham A, Windmann S, Siefen R., Daum I & Güntürkün O (2006) Creative thinking in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 12 (2), 111-123.
My work here has revealed that while there may be select advantages in creativity as a function of psychopathology, these are highly specific and circumscribed in nature. Abraham A ed. (2015). Madness and Creativity: Yes, No or Maybe? Lausanne: Frontiers Media. ISBN: 978-2-88919-670-8. Abraham A (2014). Is there an inverted-U relationship between creativity and psychopathology? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 750: 1-2. Abraham A (2014). Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying creative thinking: Indications from studies of mental illness. In J. Kaufmann (Ed.) Creativity and Mental Illness (pp. 79-101). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Abraham A, Windmann S, McKenna PJ & Güntürkün O (2007). Creative thinking in schizophrenia: The role of executive dysfunction and symptom severity. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 12 (3), 235-258. Abraham A, Windmann S, Siefen R., Daum I & Güntürkün O (2006) Creative thinking in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 12 (2), 111-123.
Lower levels of wellbeing (high negative affect) are associated with higher levels of creative potential (fluency and peak originality) and greater engagement in creative hobbies in young people (aged 14-20 years). Moreover, higher openness to experience predicted lower wellbeing (lower life satisfaction, high negative affect). Asquith SA, Wang X, Quintana D & Abraham A (2022). The Role of Personality Traits and Leisure Activities in Predicting Wellbeing in Young People. BMC Psychology, 10: 249.
My work evidences select advantages in creative cognition as a function of personality traits like psychoticism and schizotypy. Abraham A, Windmann S, Daum I & Güntürkün O (2005) Conceptual expansion and creative imagery as a function of psychoticism. Consciousness and Cognition, 14 (3), 520-534. Karimi Z, Windmann S, Güntürkün O & Abraham A (2007). Insight problem solving in individuals with high versus low schizotypy. Journal of Research in Personality, 41 (7), 473-480. Abraham A & Windmann S (2008). Selective information processing advantages in creative cognition as a function of schizotypy. Creativity Research Journal, 20(1), 1-6.
No evidence for gender-based behavioral differences in creative performance. Some evidence for gender-based brain activity differences, which may be suggestive of strategy differences during creative ideation. Abraham A (2016). Gender and creativity: An overview of psychological and neuroscientific literature. Brain Imaging & Behavior. 10 (2), 609-618. Abraham A, Thybusch K, Pieritz K & Hermann C (2014). Gender Differences in Creative Thinking: Behavioral and fMRI Findings. Brain Imaging & Behavior, 8 (1): 39-51. |
Images on this website adapted from: Abraham et al. (2005) Consciousness and Cognition.