The structure of semantic networks reflects how knowledge is organized in memory and shapes creative thinking by influencing how concepts are accessed and combined. However, most existing findings are cross-sectional, leaving it unclear how changes in knowledge structures shape corresponding changes in semantic networks and creative development over time. This longitudinal study tested whether optimizing children’s knowledge structures through thinking-based teaching fosters dynamic changes in semantic networks and creative thinking. A total of 108 Chinese elementary students participated (44 girls and 64 boys; M = 9.85 years, SD = 0.50) in the intervention and pre-post changes in creativity and semantic network measures were examined using paired-sample t-tests and regression analyses. Results indicated that students receiving the intervention showed significant gains in fluency, flexibility, and originality compared with controls ( t = 2.48, p = .015), and a follow-up study confirmed longitudinal improvements in semantic network efficiency and creativity ( t = 3.90, p < .001). Regression analyses indicated that baseline cognitive flexibility and originality jointly predicted gains in originality ( F (2, 42) = 6.46, p = .0036, R 2 = .235). Overall, findings provide longitudinal, intervention-based evidence that optimizing knowledge structures reorganizes semantic networks and supports improvements in creative thinking.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.