Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Creative idea generation often requires combining remote concepts into novel and appropriate ideas. Before such combinations can be formed, however, people must search through a large space of possible concepts and identify those worth pursuing. The cognitive processes that support such efficient search remain incompletely understood. Here, we examined whether candidate-concept search can be understood as value-guided search coupled with exploration–exploitation regulation. Across two studies, we combined computational modeling with a semantic search paradigm that externalizes candidate-concept search. Study 1 provided evidence that task context modulates the weighting of novelty and appropriateness in concept-value construction, with creative contexts prioritizing novelty and general contexts emphasizing appropriateness. Study 2 showed that concept value systematically predicted candidate-concept transitions, and that search shifted from early exploratory variability toward later value-sensitive convergence. These findings support a process-level account in which value guidance shapes early creative search, coupled with dynamic exploration–exploitation regulation.</p>