Do we need metacognition for creativity? A necessary condition analysis of creative metacognition.

• DOI: 10.1037/aca0000647
• Publication Date: 2023-12-14T19:16:38Z
• Authors: Marek Urban; Kamila Urban
• Keywords: monitoring accuracy; necessary condition analysis; regression splines; creative metacognition

Recent studies suggest that metacognitive knowledge and accurate metacognitive monitoring are associated with higher creativity. However, previous findings were based solely on traditional statistical analyses applying sufficiency causal logic. Necessary condition analysis (NCA) is a novel methodological approach that tests whether a given predictor represents a necessary condition that allows an outcome to exist. Employing NCA, the present study examines whether accuracy of metacognitive monitoring is a necessary condition for creative performance. The study involved 385 participants and tested whether accurate metacognitive monitoring in the Unusual Uses Task was a necessary condition for creative performance in the more complex Product Improvement Task. Two accuracy indices (the Absolute Accuracy Index and Bias Index) were calculated for self-evaluation and comparison judgments. In both cases, the NCA results showed that accurate metacognitive monitoring was a necessary condition for creative performance with a large ceiling effect, median d = .42. This finding suggests that certain levels of metacognitive accuracy are necessary for high creativity to occur; i.e., individuals with inaccurate metacognitive monitoring may not exhibit high creativity. Additional linear and non-linear modeling (regression splines) identified moderate associations between metacognitive monitoring and creativity, with median R2 = 8%.