STUDY ALERT: Examining the influence of mind wandering and metacognition on creativity in university and vocational students

We examined the relationship between mind wandering, metacognition and creativity in 116 university and 117 vocational Chilean students. They took a test of divergent thinking, a test of creative problem solving and a uid intelligence test. Additionally, they answered mind wandering, metacognition, and reading difficulties self-report scales. We performed multivariate analyses of variance, hierarchical regression models and tests of moderation. Fluid intelligence predicted performance on both creativity tests. The reading dif culties scale predicted the test of creative problem solving but not the test of divergent thinking. Mind wandering significantly predicted both creativity measures above the contribution of uid intelligence and reading dif culties. Metacognition did not significantly predict the measures of creativity. The type of school where the participants studied moderated the effect of metacognition on creativity. We discuss the implications of these results for research and assessment on mind wandering, metacognition and creativity.