Major and recent trends in creativity research: An overview of the field with the aid of computational methods

摘要

The present article explores 98 years of creativity research [1922-2020] covering more than 38,000 academic articles on the topic. By applying computational methods rooted in network analysis and text mining, we uncover a history of creativity research spread through 12 major topics of inquiry, including, among others, the psychology of creativity, organisational creativity, creative industries, and idea generation. We also unpack recent trends within the growing body of literature, with a particular focus on business and management. These trends, 36 in total, cover a variety of topics, from the discussions of cultural psychology and distributed creativity to the role that virtual worlds play in the generation of creative outputs. Digitalisation, interdisciplinarity, and multiculturalism emerge as transversal topics across the recent developments. Finally, we discuss how computational methods can help develop comprehensive snapshots of large research fields such as that of creativity and draw subsequent policy implications.