Internal dialogue (ID) may play a key self-regulatory function in creative thinking. This study extends previous research by contrasting the contributions of trait-level ID—reflecting general tendencies—and state-level ID, reported retrospectively after completing divergent thinking (DT) tasks. Three hundred fifty adults completed two DT tasks, which were scored for fluency and originality. After accounting for individual differences in openness to experience (OE), trait-level ID was inconsistently related to originality. In contrast, state-level ID was consistently related to originality, even after controlling for trait-level ID and OE. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, this association was negative. Higher levels of ID during DT were related to lower originality. This unexpected pattern suggests that ID may not always support original ideation. Individual differences in ID were not associated with fluency, suggesting that its potential role applies more to idea quality than to quantity. Alternative explanations for these findings, limitations, along with discrepancies with prior research, are examined to guide future studies into the potential role of ID in creative thinking.
Labrie et al. (Mon,) studied this question.