Examining the Mediating Effects of Cognitive Style on the Relation Between Music Competence and Creativity

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of cognitive style on the relationship between music competence and creative thinking. The participants were college students from a university in Eastern China. The categorization between rationality and experientiality (intuition) was adopted to measure students’ cognitive styles. A model was formulated in which music competence predicted cognitive style, which in turn predicted creativity. Structural equation modeling with Mplus 7.4 was utilized to examine the model fit and mediating effects. The result showed that (a) the model fit was acceptable; (b) both rationality and experientiality functioned as significant mediators on the path from music ability to creativity; and (c) the mediating effect of rationality was significantly greater than that of experientiality. The model presented an overall description of the relationships among the four variables; additionally, it revealed that rationality played a more prominent role than intuition did in creative thought.