Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
submittedVersion
Publication Date
5-2021
Abstract
Despite difficulties in reading and writing, some research suggests that dyslexia may be related to higher levels of creativity. However, this pattern is not consistently observed. The current research sought to ascertain whether individuals with clinically diagnosed dyslexia exhibit higher creativity than controls through a meta-analysis. Fourteen studies that assessed the creativity of 397 individuals with clinically diagnosed dyslexia and 453 controls were reviewed. Random-effects meta-analysis revealed an overall non-significant difference in creativity scores between those with dyslexia and controls. Additionally, method factors such as the type of creativity task and whether intelligence was controlled for, as well as sample-related factors such as gender, did not explain differences in the dyslexia–creativity relationship. Nonetheless, individuals with dyslexia significantly outperformed controls in creativity scores in adult samples, but not in younger child/adolescent samples. Overall, the current findings provide limited support for the idea that individuals with dyslexia are more creative, and that past evidence of this relationship may be limited to adult samples.
Keywords
creativity, dyslexia, meta-analysis
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Dyslexia
Volume
27
Issue
2
First Page
187
Last Page
203
ISSN
1076-9242
Identifier
10.1002/dys.1677
Publisher
Wiley
Embargo Period
8-7-2021
Citation
MAJEED, Nadyannam M., HARTANTO, Andree, & TAN, Jacinth J. X..(2021). Developmental dyslexia and creativity: A meta-analysis. Dyslexia, 27(2), 187-203.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3340
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1677