The Psychology of Creative Performance and Expertise

This much-needed book introduces readers to the related fields of expertise, creativity, and performance, exploring our understanding of the factors contributing to greatness in creative domains.

Bringing together research from the fields of creativity and expertise, it provides fresh insights for newcomers and seasoned scholars alike with its approachable guide to the multidimensional complexities of expertise development. It transcends traditionally studied fields such as chess, sports, and music, instead exploring the intersection of expertise with creativity and the performing arts. Dedicated applied chapters cover eight fields, including mind-games, music, dance, creative writing, acting, art and STEM. The book also examines the facilitators of creative performance, including aesthetic sensitivity, creativity, and mental imagery as well as the obstacles to performance such as burnout, procrastination, and gender-related challenges. The book concludes by engaging with pressing issues facing expertise, including the impact of AI. Student-friendly pedagogy is featured throughout, including ’Spotlight on...’, ’Check it out...’, and ’Consider this...’ boxes to position material within context and engage student’s learning.

Whether revealing how an actor brings their part to life, how writers conjure up their storylines and vibrant characters, or what lies behind scientific invention, ThePsychology of Creative Performance and Expertise offers a fascinating insight into the multifaceted journey towards achieving creative excellence. This is a valuable resource for final-year undergraduates, postgraduate students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including expertise or skill acquisition, the psychology of performance, and creativity.

Kathryn Friedlander (PhD, CPsychol.), is a psychology lecturer at the University of Buckingham, where her research interests focus upon expertise development, visual imagery, and motivational drivers in cognitive and creative performance domains.