Executive functions and intelligence play an important role in creative thinking, but the relationship in children had been under-studied¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q1
Currency · newest study 2018 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q1 i? Prior research indicates intelligence and executive functions play an important role in creative thinking, with most research focused on adults rather than children. → Krumm 2018

Evidence¶

Krumm 2018¶

Krumm, Gabriela Liliana; Arán Filippetti, Vanessa; Gutierrez Saez, Marisel Luisa. (2018). The contribution of executive functions to creativity in children: What is the role of crystallized and fluid intelligence?. Thinking Skills and Creativity. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2018.07.006

q1 · i? · associational · r2

The article's framing statement, attributed to recent studies without citation detail in the available text: intelligence and EFs "play an important role in creative thinking", while "most research has focused on adult populations". No evidence or effect sizes are provided for this background assertion.

"Recent studies have revealed that intelligence and executive functions (EFs) play an important role in creative thinking. However, most research has focused on adult populations, without providing enough clarity as regards the way this complex relationship is manifested in children."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Creativity — outcome: instruction changes it
Executive Function — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
General Cognitive Ability — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
Self-Regulation — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Creativity, crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence and executive functions are all correlated in children aged 8 to 13 — related
The effect of crystallized intelligence on children's creativity is mediated by shifting — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
In children, shifting is a more powerful predictor of creativity than fluid and crystallized intelligence — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
After controlling for children's level of intelligence, only shifting and inhibition make a significant contribution to creativity — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
Men scored higher than women on rated divergent thinking creativity in this sample, with no sex differences in fluid intelligence or the executive functions. — related
Soft skills play an equally important role in education investments and outcomes as cognitive skills — related
Creativity (divergent thinking ability) is predicted by both updating and inhibition, but not by shifting ability. — reports the opposite
Executive functions substantially account for the latent intelligence–creativity correlation, leaving a reduced but still positive residual of r = .34. — related

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`efs-intelligence-role-creative-thinking-children-gap`
`title`	`Executive functions and intelligence play an important role in creative thinking, but the relationship in children had been under-studied`
`description`	`Executive functions and intelligence play an important role in creative thinking, but the relationship in children had been under-studied`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`weak`
`newest_evidence`	`2018`
`source_checked`	`2026-10-17`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-17`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `krumm-2018`

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