Dispositional mindfulness, executive functioning, and everyday creative behaviour

Abstract

Everyday creative behaviour is an aspect of creativity that is of great interest to researchers internationally as well as in a South African context. Although previous studies have provided possible links between everyday creativity, executive functioning and dispositional mindfulness, there is very limited research that has directly explored the relationships between dispositional mindfulness, executive functioning, and everyday creativity. The current study utilized a quantitative, cross-sectional, non-experimental, and correlational research design in order to explore the relationships between dispositional mindfulness, self-reported executive functioning, and everyday creative behaviour and whether dispositional mindfulness acted as a moderator in the relationship between self-reported executive functioning and everyday creative behaviour. A non-probability, convenience, and snowballing sampling strategy was used, and the final sample consisted of 1608 South African individuals between the ages of 18 and 50 years old. Participants completed the following self-report scales that made up an online survey: The Kaufman Domains of Creativity Scale (KDOCS), The Amsterdam Executive Functioning Inventory (AEFI), and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Correlations and moderated hierarchical multiple regressions were used to analyse the data. The study found significant positive correlations between executive functioning and overall everyday creative behaviour, scholarly creative behaviour, self/everyday creative behaviour, and mechanical/ scientific creative behaviour. Further, significant positive correlations were found between dispositional mindfulness and overall everyday creative behaviour, scholarly creative behaviour, self/everyday creative behaviour, and mechanical/ scientific creative behaviour. Interestingly, a significant negative relationship between artistic creativity and dispositional mindfulness was also found. Furthermore, there were three significant moderation models found in the results of the study. Firstly, dispositional mindfulness was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between self-reported executive functioning and overall everyday creative behaviour. Specifically, dispositional mindfulness acted as a stronger facilitator of overall everyday creative behaviour for individuals with high levels of executive functioning. Secondly, dispositional mindfulness was also found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between self-reported executive functioning and scholarly creative behaviour. Specifically, dispositional mindfulness acted as a stronger facilitator of scholarly creative behaviour for individuals with high levels of executive functioning. Lastly, dispositional mindfulness was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between self-reported executive functioning and artistic creative behaviour. Specifically, dispositional mindfulness did not have any effect on artistic creative behaviour for those with low levels of dispositional mindfulness, regardless of level of executive functioning; it only facilitated artistic creative behaviour for those with high levels of dispositional mindfulness. The current study’s results suggest that there are relationships between dispositional mindfulness, executive functioning and everyday creative behaviour and, further, that level of mindfulness may change the nature of the relationship between executive functioning and overall everyday creative behaviour, scholar creative behaviour, and artistic creative behaviour. These findings provide interesting insight and possible explanations as to why there are conflicting reports regarding the nature of the relationships between executive functioning, dispositional mindfulness, and everyday creativity in the existing literature. They suggest that executive functioning and dispositional mindfulness may have different types of relationships with specific aspects or domains of creativity. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical contribution to the literature in the area and contributes to practical understandings of how certain aspects of everyday creative behaviour may be facilitate