Toward a neurocognitive framework of creative cognition: the role of memory, attention, and cognitive control

The investigation of creative cognition is rapidly advancing, driven by important methodological developments related to the modeling and scoring of creative performance, and stimulated by exciting contributions from cognitive neuroscience. Here, we argue that a deeper understanding of this complex cognitive capacity requires defining the role of its constituting neurocognitive functions including memory, attention, and cognitive control. The available evidence from cognitive and neuroscience research reveals several characteristic mechanisms of creative cognition including constructive memory processes to build novel representations, internally directed attention to support active imagination, and the relevance of executive control to implement goal-directed memory and attention processes. Together, these findings contribute toward an empirically substantiated neurocognitive framework of creative cognition.