Working memory control and creative cognition: the mediating role of associative memory retrieval.

Creative cognition depends on the ability to regulate and manipulate information in working memory (WM). Yet, empirical findings on the relationship between WM control and creative cognition are inconsistent. In this exploratory study (N = 200), we examined how distinct facets of WM control – inhibition, updating, shifting and WM capacity – relate to creative and associative cognition, including divergent and convergent thinking, verbal fluency, and creative achievement. Automated measures of semantic distance were applied to quantify creative quality, flexibility, and the breadth of retrieval processes in creative and associative tasks. WM updating and capacity were positively correlated and both predicted convergent thinking and verbal fluency, but not divergent thinking. Moreover, the relationship between convergent thinking and WM updating/capacity was fully mediated by verbal fluency, and not moderated by trait openness. Self-report measures of WM control explained variance in convergent thinking beyond lab-based measures. No other significant relationships were found between WM control and creative or associative measures. Findings suggest that specific components of WM control support creative cognition via associative retrieval processes, while broader claims about the role of WM control in creative cognition require caution. The study emphasizes the importance of adopting multi-method approaches when investigating creative cognition.