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Intelligence is somewhat related to creativity, but it is also different. Much more has been written on this topic over the years. Although a universal consensus has never been achieved, there is probably a general agreement that a certain level of intelligence is needed in order to make a creative contribution of some kind. But at some point, another kind of mental/brain faculty kicks in, and it is this faculty—creativity— that permits some people to write novels, equations, sonnets, or symphonies.

Potentially, people who have extraordinary creativity could also be studied using other measures, including modern neuroimaging tools. A final issue is what the student of creativity should actually study—that is, whether to examine personality traits, thought processes, or other kinds of measures. To some extent, the history of studies of creativity reflects the history of psychology in the twentieth century. Psychological research on creativity has used the methods that have been “cutting edge” in the field at a given time.

We can define and conceptualize creativity in many ways. Boundary issues, such as the distinction between intelligence and creativity, must be considered. Both in popular language and in the historical literature, the terms “genius,” “gifted,” “talented,” and “creative” are often used interchangeably. There are boundary issues with domains as well. Both in popular culture and in research studies, one sometimes senses a presumption that creativity occurs primarily in the arts and humanities—literature, music, dance, or visual arts—with little recognition that creativity is crucial for other fields as well, such as biology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, earth science, and engineering.