Her research focuses on the interaction between the representation of category knowledge and how that knowledge is used to develop new ideas and products. This research takes several forms including research on how category knowledge influences and constrains performance in generation tasks and during analogical reasoning. Her research on applied analogical reasoning includes studies examining the effects of conceptual distance between analogy source and target domains on the quality of solutions generated for the target domain. This research has led to the development of methodologies that have been used to teach corporate executives how to use analogical reasoning to generate innovative business processes and products. Cynthia has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Creative Behavior as well as the International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving