A Conditional Threshold Hypothesis for Creative Achievement: On the Interaction Between Intelligence and Openness

Theoretical perspectives on creativity have suggested that intelligence is necessary but not sufficient for creative behavior. Known as the  threshold hypothesis , this idea has generated both controversy and confusion since Guilford (1967) suggested that creativity and intelligence would be correlated more strongly among those low in intelligence relative to those high in intelligence. In this article, we instead argue for a  conditional threshold hypothesis  such that the relationship between intelligence and creative achievement is moderated by other critical characteristics. Further, we propose that the relationship is in fact stronger among individuals who possess high levels of qualifying characteristics. We then argue that openness to experience represents one such critical characteristic. For those with high openness, we propose that high levels of intelligence will be the differentiating factor between those who exhibit high and extremely high creative achievement. Additionally, we argue that for domain specificity, it is necessary to differentiate between the openness aspects of  aesthetic openness  and  intellect  for explaining creative achievement in the arts and sciences, respectively. Participants living in the United States ( N  = 1,276;  M age  = 34.56 years; 67% female, 82% White; 91% at least some college; 88% employed) completed the Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ) as well as fluid intelligence and personality measures. Results of Poisson analyses regressing CAQ scores onto personality and intelligence measures scored with item response theory lend full support to these hypotheses. Implications of our conditional threshold hypothesis are discussed