For decades, creativity scholars have been interested in exploring the relationship between creativity and learning. Much of the empirical work in this area has focused on examining correlational links between domain general outcomes of creativity tests and results in school achievement tests. The results of such work have been somewhat variable, but generally suggests a positive albeit modest relationship between creativity and learning. Few studies have examined the relationship between creativity and learning using a more tailored and domain-specific assessment. This paper proposes a new approach to studying creativity and learning using a newly developed Creativity and Learning in School Achievement Test (CLISAT). The first wave of a large cross-sequential study (N = 2,372), which uses the CLISAT is reported. More specifically, a continuum for conceptualizing the assessment of creativity and learning is introduced, the CLISAT validity and reliability are reported, and its relationship with intelligence and divergent thinking is explored. The CLISAT scores are also used to examine a variety of nuanced relationships between academic achievement and creativity in two academic domains (math and language). Implications for theory development and future research are discussed.

Pathogen threat can translate into a willingness to distance oneself from others on a psychological level. Building on this notion, we predicted that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic can affect attitudes toward foreign nationalities. We explored the intergroup consequences of the current epidemiological situation in two studies involving a total of 652 participants. In correlational Study 1, we showed a positive relationship between media exposure in the United Kingdom (UK) and in Poland, and prejudice to four foreign nationalities. Study 2 showed that negative affect toward Italians (i.e., a nation struggling with the most severe COVID-19 outbreak at the time of the study) was indirectly predicted by exposure to news about coronavirus through the increase in anxiety, but this effect was not observed when a generalized measure of prejudice was considered. Overall, our studies revealed that prejudice and anxiety are sensitive to the current epidemiological situation, and our findings suggest that the outbreak of COVID-19 may translate into severe social consequences and increased psychological distancing to nations most affected by the pandemic.

Two studies examined the dynamics and predictors of momentary creative activity among adults. Study 1 (N = 74) applied the experience sampling methodology (ESM) to investigate the likelihood of engaging in creative activity and explain its variability using both within-person predictors (experienced emotions) and between person-predictors (personality and creative activity). This study also demonstrated that the likelihood of momentary creative activity during a random week at the age 52 is predicted by participants’ intelligence measured 4 decades ago. Study 2 extended these findings: In a 2-week-long diary study, participants (N = 433) reported their everyday creative behaviors and activity in the spheres related to arts (painting, composing music, writing), science (writing scientific articles, solving technical problems), and everyday functioning (cooking, blogging). Active positive emotions generally predicted day-to-day variability of creative behavior, whereas the role of individual-differences was more complex and domain-specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

Self-report scales have become the most widely used instruments to capture people’s self-perception of creativity. Previous studies, however, provided only a limited insight into the psychometric properties of such measures. This paper reports an extensive item response theory (IRT) analysis of the Short Scale of Creative Self (SSCS): one of the most frequently used scales of creative self-concept. Based on samples from 14 studies (overall N > 26,000), we report IRT parameters of creative self-efficacy and creative personal identity scales’ items. We examined whether the scores obtained in the SSCS depend on the length of the response scale (5-versus-7-point Likert scales) and whether latent scores are comparable across different data collection methods (online, paper-and-pencil, phone), age, and gender. The results confirmed the two-factor structure of the SSCS, good psychometric properties of its items, as well as invariance regarding response scales, age, gender, and method of data collection. At the same time, the items (and consequently—scales) were easy in the psychometrical sense, thus providing much more reliable scores among individuals who scored low or medium in creative self-concept. Longer (7-point) and shorter (5-point) Likert scales performed similarly, with some psychometric arguments favoring fewer points on the scale. Gender differences were negligible (Cohen’s d between 0.00 and 0.01). We discuss potential ways of further improvement and development of the SSCS.