Figure 1.

A hypothetical individual‐level pathway to innovation. Arrows denote which construct leads to another construct. From left to right, any of the processes within the first block can lead to those within the second block. The constructs in italic text within the second block play more contested, or less direct, roles in this pathway (see Point 2). Neophilia, and its opposing construct neophobia, are discussed in Point 3. Context and prior learning (social and/or asocial) are acknowledged to potentially contribute to each construct portrayed and to differentially promote behavioral change. Innovation is generally regarded as a component of behavioral flexibility by allowing “individuals to react to environmental changes… [by] changing established behavior” (Toelch et al., 2011, p. 1). It should be noted that, rather than necessarily prompting divergent thinking and creativity, exploration may allow an individual to stumble upon an innovation by chance, captured by the connecting arrow.