Creativity and Imagination Lab

The Creativity and Imagination Lab explores an expansive array of topics in the multifaceted realm of human imagination. Our team approaches the investigation of the human mind using interdisciplinary and systemic lenses, and our resulting work and scholarship are relevant for diverse domains of basic and applied research. Our team investigates questions from empirical, methodological, and theoretical standpoints.

Creativity

Cognitive-behavioral studies of creativity across the lifespan
Neuroscientific and psychophysiological studies of the creative process
Training and induction effects on creativity
Methodological guidance for the optimal study of creativity
Development of novel methods to assess creativity
Qualitative approaches to examining creativity in context
Theoretical models of the creative mind

Imagination

Neurophilosophical theoretical frameworks
Understanding the reality-fiction distinction
Mental time travel (episodic and semantic prospection and memory)
Mental state reasoning (theory of mind; intentionality; belief/desire states)
Self-referential thinking and social cognition
Consciousness and mindwandering
Aesthetic states and experiences

Tools and Techniques

Based in Aderhold Hall, the Creativity and Imagination Lab follows a multi-method approach and examines the human mind using the following tools and techniques:

Experimental psychological methods
Neuroimaging
Neuropsychology
Electroencephaolgraphy (EEG)
Psychophysiology (galvanic skin response, heart rate)
Psychometrics
Qualitative (thematic analysis)

Contact Info

Anna Abraham , E. Paul Torrance Professor and lab director