Creative thinking: immersive, interactive, and multisensory experiences

    Chiara Lucifora Info
    Aldo Gangemi Info
    Claudia Scorolli Info
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2026.21861

Abstract

Virtual reality is a technology widely employed in cognitive science, aimed at studying human behavior and cognition. In recent years, virtual environments have been applied to investigate human creative process, focusing on divergent thinking. Along this line of research, our study addresses the immersive, interactive, and multisensory aspects of virtual reality technologies to enhance individuals’ creative thinking. We tested a sample of N = 60 participants, using positive (N = 20), negative (N = 20), and neutral (N = 20) auditory stimulation within an interactive virtual environment, in order to test possible change in divergent and associative thinking. Our findings provide a first piece of evidence that immersive, interactive, and multisensory experiences enhance human creative thinking, particularly using positive auditory stimulations.

 

Keywords:

creativity, divergent thinking, multisensory experience, rebus puzzle task, remote associates test, virtual reality

How to Cite

Lucifora, C., Gangemi, A., & Scorolli, C. (2026). Creative thinking: immersive, interactive, and multisensory experiences. Creativity Studies, 19(1), 300–314. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2026.21861

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May 13, 2026
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2026-05-13

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How to Cite

Lucifora, C., Gangemi, A., & Scorolli, C. (2026). Creative thinking: immersive, interactive, and multisensory experiences. Creativity Studies, 19(1), 300–314. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2026.21861

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