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Cognitive Conflict in Rule Violation and Creativity: Evidence for a Shared Cognitive Basis

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Title: Cognitive Conflict in Rule Violation and Creativity: Evidence for a Shared Cognitive Basis
Language: English
Authors: Julian Haberler (ORCID 0009-0001-5571-6503), Roland Pfister, Moritz Reis (ORCID 0000-0002-1547-8109)
Source: Journal of Creative Behavior. 2026 60(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Conflict, Bias, Creativity, Decision Making, Semantics
DOI: 10.1002/jocb.70101
ISSN: 0022-0175
2162-6057
Abstract: Societal traditions and rules guide human decision-making and action. Yet, sometimes humans break with traditions by devising creative solutions and sometimes they break rules to increase personal gains. Here we asked whether creativity and rule-breaking might have more in common than meets the eye, by exploring whether labeling identical actions as either creative or rule-breaking shapes how these actions are semantically processed and cognitively represented. To assess differences in semantic processing we conducted two preregistered experiments, using a mouse-tracking paradigm: Participants of the creativity group either applied a stimulus--response mapping labeled as "traditional", or the opposing mapping labeled as "creative". For the rule violation group, the same behaviors were labeled as "follow rule" and "violate rule". Performance measures indicated a large bias against creative and rule violation options, but this bias did not differ between both groups. This observation indicates that the labels "creative" and "rule-violating" are semantically similarly processed, as both require the agent to overcome automatically retrieved response tendencies.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/3y6x2/files/osfstorage?view_only=ff72ac2220dc415d990ea23f3a06ceca
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1500484
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Cognitive Conflict in Rule Violation and Creativity: Evidence for a Shared Cognitive Basis
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Julian+Haberler%22">Julian Haberler</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5571-6503">0009-0001-5571-6503</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Roland+Pfister%22">Roland Pfister</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Moritz+Reis%22">Moritz Reis</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1547-8109">0000-0002-1547-8109</externalLink>)
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Societal traditions and rules guide human decision-making and action. Yet, sometimes humans break with traditions by devising creative solutions and sometimes they break rules to increase personal gains. Here we asked whether creativity and rule-breaking might have more in common than meets the eye, by exploring whether labeling identical actions as either creative or rule-breaking shapes how these actions are semantically processed and cognitively represented. To assess differences in semantic processing we conducted two preregistered experiments, using a mouse-tracking paradigm: Participants of the creativity group either applied a stimulus--response mapping labeled as "traditional", or the opposing mapping labeled as "creative". For the rule violation group, the same behaviors were labeled as "follow rule" and "violate rule". Performance measures indicated a large bias against creative and rule violation options, but this bias did not differ between both groups. This observation indicates that the labels "creative" and "rule-violating" are semantically similarly processed, as both require the agent to overcome automatically retrieved response tendencies.
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: https://osf.io/3y6x2/files/osfstorage?view_only=ff72ac2220dc415d990ea23f3a06ceca
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      – TitleFull: Cognitive Conflict in Rule Violation and Creativity: Evidence for a Shared Cognitive Basis
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              Y: 2026
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