Toward a causal model of curiosity and creativity

Abstract

We extend Ivancovsky et al.'s finding on the association between curiosity and creativity by proposing a sequential causal model assuming that (a) curiosity determines the motivation to seek information and that (b) creativity constitutes a capacity to act on that motivation. This framework assumes that both high levels of curiosity and creativity are necessary for information-seeking behavior.

Ivancovsky et al. present a much-needed review of the evidence for the linkage between curiosity and creativity via a shared novelty-seeking mechanism. While the authors' model helps explain the observed correlation between curiosity and creativity across domains, it provides no clear theoretical position on the quality of this link. Here, we attempt to develop such a position by proposing a working mechanism. Specifically, we propose a causal model of how novelty-seeking, and more generally information-seeking behavior, results from curiosity and creativity. We consider curiosity to be a prerequisite for seeking new information and creative thinking styles the capacity to seek new information. In essence, we suggest that two different types of curiosity and two different creative thinking capacities determine the type and degree of information-seeking behavior.

The authors of the target article distinguish between two dimensions lying at the core of the curiosity concept: Broad curiosity and specific curiosity (see also interest vs. deprivation, Litman, 2008; and joyous exploration vs. deprivation sensitivity, Grüning & Lechner, 2023; Kashdan, Disabato, Goodman, & McKnight, 2020). These dimensions can also be distinguished behaviorally as the motivation to gather information versus to generate new information (see first ideas in Bluemke, Engel, Grüning, & Lechner, 2023). This distinction also suggests that there exist at least two types of information-seeking behavior. Specifically, people explore their world to gather new information, which can be referred to as broad curiosity behavior. However, people also actively generate new information in the form of solutions to problems or the result of combining different pieces of information, which would be regarded as specific curiosity behavior.

Ivancovsky et al. show that broad curiosity – the motivation to gather new information – is related to divergent thinking. In contrast, specific curiosity – the motivation to generate new information – is related to convergent thinking. We extend this idea by proposing a casual framework comprising a set of paths leading from curiosity to creativity and on to information-seeking behavior. As shown in Figure 1, we propose that creativity, conceptualized as the capacity for engaging in different styles of thinking, moderates whether curious people can actually engage in information-seeking behavior. While the motivation to gather (i.e., broad curiosity, interest, and joyous exploration) or generate (i.e., specific curiosity, deprivation, and deprivation sensitivity) information is a prerequisite for any information-seeking behavior, it is not sufficient. An individual's creativity, among other moderators (e.g., time resources and cognitive load), determines their ability to follow through on the motivation to seek new information. For illustration, if one is motivated to gather new information about business strategies or the big cats, one's capacity for divergent thinking might primarily guide the degree of information-seeking behavior exhibited, ultimately determining the amount of detail and breadth of information gathered (e.g., leadership do's and dont's or that the cheetah is the fastest big cat). Similarly, an individual who is motivated to generate new information as a means of solving an open problem (e.g., which business strategy to choose for the own company) or combining existing pieces of information (e.g., that another big cat like the lion can generally not catch a cheetah) may only be able to do so within the limits of their capacity for convergent thinking. Information-seeking behavior may not be exhibited if curiosity is low, or if a specific curiosity is high but the corresponding capacity for divergent or convergent thinking is low. For a specific type of information-seeking behavior to be exhibited, both the correct type of curiosity and creativity must be sufficiently high.

Figure 1. Causal model of curiosity, creativity, and information-seeking behavior.

With due caution, we note that the sequentiality of a particular type of curiosity or a particular type of creative thinking style in the causal chain toward information-seeking behavior is difficult to argue for per se. With the direction proposed in Figure 1, we follow the conceptual idea that cognitive preparatory processes such as motivation precede the testing of corresponding capacities, such as thinking styles, to result in actual behavior.

Ivancovsky et al. have taken a significant step toward establishing an associative link between curiosity and creativity. In this commentary, we sought to stimulate a way of thinking about the quality of this link with the goal to test which aspects of curiosity and creativity interact in which ways to lead to information-seeking behavior. We propose a testable causal model of the association between curiosity and creativity, in which the effect of the former on actual information-seeking behavior is moderated by the latter. In this regard, we also call for research to distinguish between two different types of information-seeking, namely, gathering and generating information, at the behavioral level. Our model, we hope, takes another step forwarded, inspiring targeted studies on the quality of the causal relationship between curiosity, creativity, and information-seeking.