01What was studied
A quasi-experimental comparison of design majors and matched non-design students. Participants completed visual-design and divergent-thinking tasks while cortical activity was recorded with fNIRS.
02Main finding
Design students performed better across tasks, showed greater prefrontal activation early in idea generation and spent more time in efficient, flexible network states.
03Quality of the evidence
Preliminary. Matching and multiple creativity measures are strengths, but this is not a randomised longitudinal study and fNIRS only measures cortical activity near the scalp.
04Why it matters for NEYREL
The study aligns with NEYREL’s combination of careful observation, visual imagination, sketching, transformation and creative problem-solving.
05Practical application
The White Paper can describe visual practice as associated with flexible and efficient network engagement, while a NEYREL evaluation should measure participants before and after a defined programme.
06Important limitations
Students chose their field before the study and may already have differed in creativity or motivation. The results show an association, not that arts education caused the neural or creative differences.