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Prior research has demonstrated the importance of forecasting to creative problem-solving performance. Less is known about how case analysis and outcome valence impact forecasting performance. In t...

It is often assumed creative performance is error free. Even a cursory inspection of eminent, creative, individuals indicates errors permeate creative efforts. In the present effort, the impact of ...

Although scholars have identified many variables that contribute to creative problem-solving, less attention has been given to variables that might lead to failure in creative problem-solving. One ...

There is little doubt that career experiences contribute to scientific achievement; however this relationship has yet to be thoroughly investigated in terms the effects on scientific creativity. In this study, a historiometric approach was used to examine 3 areas of adult career experiences common to scientific achievement. In doing so, prior theoretical work was used to identify career experiences relevant to scientific achievement, and 3 theoretical models were proposed to account for these experiences—adversity, collaborations, and work strategies. Biographies of eminent scientists were then content coded and analyzed. The results indicated that the adversity model did not predict scientific creativity. However, the work strategies model and, to some degree, the collaborations model showed some promise in understanding the development of creative potential in scientists. The nature of the significant relationships among the model components and scientific creativity are discussed in addition to their i...

Constraints often inhibit creative problem-solving. This study examined the impact of training strategies for managing constraints on creative problem-solving. Undergraduates, 218 in all, were asked to work through 1 to 4 self-paced instructional programs focused on constraint management strategies. The quality, originality, and elegance of solutions to social innovation problems were assessed. It was found that providing training in managing resource constraints was generally valuable. For talented individuals, providing training in managing user skill constraints also proved valuable. The implications of these findings for training intended to improve creative thinking are discussed.

Many techniques have been used to train creative problem-solving skills. Although the available techniques have often proven to be effective, creative training often discounts the value of thinking about applications. In this study, 248 undergraduates were asked to develop advertising campaigns for a new high-energy soft drink. Solutions to this problem were evaluated for quality, originality, and elegance. Prior to preparing these advertising campaigns, participants were provided with training in strategies for thinking about the potential applications of creative problem-solutions. It was found that training people to think about the uses of ideas and preparation for idea implementation contributed to the acquisition of stronger mental models and production of advertising campaigns evidencing greater quality, originality, and elegance. The implications of these findings for creative though and creative education are discussed.

Knowledge, or expertise, has been held to contribute to creative problem-solving. In this effort, the relationship of one form of knowledge, mental models, to creative problem-solving was assessed. Undergraduates were asked to solve either a marketing or an education problem calling for creative thought. Prior to generating solutions to these problems, the mental models used by undergraduates to understand problems in these domains were assessed in terms of their objective and subjective features. It was found that both objective and subjective features of peoples mental models were related to the quality, originality, and elegance of problem solutions. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of mental models in creative problem-solving are discussed.

People make errors in their creative problem-solving efforts. The intent of this article was to assess whether error-management training would improve performance on creative problem-solving tasks. Undergraduates were asked to solve an educational leadership problem known to call for creative thought where problem solutions were scored for quality, originality, and elegance. Prior to beginning work on their problem solutions, participants were provided with training in 0 to 4 error-management strategies. It was found that error-management training was beneficial for talented people (as indicated by scores on the pretraining exercise) resulting in solutions of greater originality. The implications of these findings for improving performance on creative problem-solving tasks are discussed.

In recent years, it has become apparent that knowledge is a critical component of creative thought. One form of knowledge that might be particularly important to creative thought relies on the mental models people employ to understand novel, ill-defined problems. In this study, undergraduates were given training in the use of causal relationships in applying mental models in creative problem-solving. A pre-post design was used to assess the effects of this training on mental models and creative problem-solving. It was found that causal analysis training resulted in the acquisition of better mental models (in terms of subjective and objective attributes) and better solutions (in terms of quality, originality, and elegance) to problems calling for creative thought among high-ability participants. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of mental models in creative problem-solving are discussed.

Studies of creative thinking skills have generally measured a single aspect of creativity, divergent thinking. A number of other processes involved in creative thought have been identified. Effective execution of these processes is held to depend on the strategies applied in process execution, or heuristics. In this article, we review prior studies, examining the procedures used to measure these heuristics. Evidence for the reliability and validity of these measures is provided where available. In addition, we propose alternative methods for the measurement of heuristics. The implications of measuring heuristics on the study of creativity are discussed.

Intuition may be a critical component of creative thought. To test this hypothesis, a measure of individual differences in intuition was developed. After completing this measure, 320 undergraduates were asked to work on a domain-relevant creative problem-solving task under conditions where positive and neutral affect were induced and they were exposed to 1 of 3 different types of training. It was found that intuitive people produced more creative problem solutions, but that positive affect and training offset the advantage intuitive people showed in creative problem-solving. The implications of these findings for understanding the nature of intuition, and its role in creative problem-solving, are discussed.

Prior research suggests that forecasting may play a critical role in both the evaluation of new ideas and planning for idea implementation. In the present study, 141 undergraduates were asked to formulate advertising campaigns for a new product. These campaign proposals were evaluated for quality, originality, and elegance. Prior to formulating these campaigns, participants were asked to forecast the implication of their ideas and forecast the effects of a plan for implementing their best idea. It was found that the extensiveness of forecasting the implication of ideas and the extensiveness of forecasting the implications of plans were related to the quality, originality, and elegance of the advertising campaigns proposed. The effectiveness of these forecasts was influenced by analysis of causes and goals and the use of case models. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of forecasting in creative thought are discussed.

In the present study, 258 doctoral students working in the health, biological, and social sciences were asked to solve a series of field-relevant problems calling for creative thought. Proposed solutions to these problems were scored with respect to critical creative thinking skills such as problem definition, conceptual combination, and idea generation. Results indicated that health, biological, and social scientists differed with respect to their skill in executing various operations, or processes, involved in creative thought. Interestingly, no differences were observed as a function of the students’ level of experience. The implications of these findings for understanding cross-field, and cross-experience level, differences in creative thought are discussed.

Creative problem-solving is, more often than not, studied as an isolated phenomenon. In real-world settings, however, events occur as people seek to generate creative problem solutions—some of which might contribute to and some of which might inhibit creative thought. The present study examined the effects of presenting conflicting information. The conflicting information presented was varied with respect to manner of presentation (either abstract versus specific) and content (either goals versus causes). This conflicting information was introduced at different points as 245 undergraduates worked on a marketing problem calling for creative thought. It was found that presentation of conflicting information, especially early presentation of conflicting information, resulted in decreased performance. The implications of these findings for understanding creative thought are discussed.

Time and people's perceptions of it have commonly been held to influence creative thought. One critical concern is the effect of temporal orientation, a focus on the past, present, or future, on creative thought. To address this issue, 197 undergraduates were asked to produce a solution to an educational creative problem-solving task. Solutions to this problem were scored for quality, originality, and elegance; preparatory activities were scored for effective execution of requisite creative problem-solving processes. Temporal orientation, time pressure, and framing were manipulated. It was found that temporal orientation, time pressure, and framing did not exert strong effects on solution quality, originality, and elegance. However, temporal orientation, time pressure, and framing exerted stronger, albeit different, effects on the effectiveness of process execution with time pressure contributing to effective execution of some processes, but not others. The implications of these findings for understanding...

Prior studies have indicated that multiple knowledge structures, schema, associations, and cases, are involved in creative thought. Few studies, however, have examined how these different knowledge structures operate together in idea generation and creative problem-solving. Accordingly, in the present study 247 undergraduates were asked to generate ideas relevant to a social innovation problem and then provide a potential solution to the problem. A training manipulation was used to encourage application of schematic, associational, or case-based knowledge either alone or in combination. It was found that prompting use of a single knowledge structure, specifically schema or associational knowledge, resulted in the production of more high quality ideas. However, prompting use of multiple knowledge structures, specifically combining either schema or associations with cases, resulted in the production of higher quality and more original problem-solutions. The implications of these findings for understanding t...

Picasso's Guernica represents a potentially useful product for investigation by students of creative achievement. In the case of studies by Simonton (2007) and Weisberg and Hass (2007), both appearing in this same issue of the Creativity Research Journal, detailed examination of this picture has provided a basis for some bold statements about creative thought. In this commentary, we question the conclusions drawn by Simonton with respect to the application of historical case analysis, the methods applied, and the substantive model underlying this effort. More generally, we argue that caution is called for in attempting to account for creative achievement based on a single model of the kind of knowledge involved.

Prior qualitative research has indicated that social innovation, the generation and implementation of new ideas about social relationships and social organization, requires active analysis of the causes operative in a social system. To provide some quantitative evidence bearing on this proposition, 180 undergraduates were presented with six social innovation problems drawn from the business and educational domains. Training in the analysis of causes was provided and manipulations were made to induce analysis through distancing and forecasting. It was found that induction of causal analysis through training and distancing contributed to the originality of obtained problem solutions especially in less familiar domains. The implications of these findings for understanding social innovation are discussed.

Creativity is commonly held to emerge from an interaction of the person and the situation. In studies of creativity, situational influences are commonly assessed by using climate measures. In the present effort, a meta-analysis was conducted to examine 42 prior studies in which the relationships between climate dimensions, such as support and autonomy, and various indices of creative performance were assessed. These climate dimensions were found to be effective predictors of creative performance across criteria, samples, and settings. It was found, moreover, that these dimensions were especially effective predictors of creative performance in turbulent, high-pressure, competitive environments. The implications of these findings for understanding environmental influences on creativity and innovation are discussed.

Students of creativity have long been interested in the neurological mechanisms that underlie creative thought. Vandervert, Schimpf, and Liu (this issue) have proposed a new model of the neurological mechanisms that give rise to creative thought. In the present commentary, we examine this model for what it might tell us about creative problem solving. We conclude that the proposed model is in line with much of what is known about creative problem solving. However, certain key predictions of this model, for example the role of visual images and basic cognitive images, are questioned. The implications of these observations for future neurological research are discussed.

When deciding whether to pursue a new idea, people must predict the resources needed for, and consequences of, idea implementation. The intent of this study was to examine how accurate people are in predicting the resources needed for, and consequences of, creative ideas. Accordingly, 158 undergraduates were presented with case studies describing 3 new ideas drawn from either the education or public policy domains. They were asked to evaluate these ideas with respect to resource requirements (e.g., time, finances) and likely consequences (e.g., positive benefits, organizational disruption). The accuracy of these appraisals was assessed in terms of actual case events. It was found that people were more accurate in predicting resources and outcomes under conditions likely to engender implementation intentions, but that people overestimated outcomes and underestimated resource requirements when they had some familiarity with the issue. The implications of these observations for understanding errors...

Creative thought requires planning to support the refinement and successful implementation of new ideas. In this study, 174 people were given training intended to provide more effective strategies for executing two key skills held to be involved in implementation planning—penetration (e.g., identification of key causes) and forecasting. The quality and originality of the plans obtained on a transfer task, involving implementation of a new educational curriculum, were assessed. It was found that training forecasting strategies and penetration strategies proved particularly beneficial for creative people, as defined by scores of divergent thinking tests. The implications of these findings for understanding the role of planning in creative thought are discussed.

Prior research points to the importance of conceptual combination in creative thought. One way people might generate new combinations is through feature search and mapping-an analogical approach. Another way people might generate new combinations is through the integration and elaboration of event models-a case-based approach. To contrast these two approaches, 190 undergraduates were asked to review material describing multiple educational programs and devise a new high school curriculum using heuristics applying to 1 of these 2 approaches. The programs presented were varied with respect to the number of prior programs presented, their similarity, and divergence from current educational practices. It was found that effective use of appropriate heuristics was related to the quality, originality, and elegance of obtained solutions. Use of heuristics associated with an analogical approach led to better performance when a larger number of prior programs was presented. Use of heuristics associated with a case-...

Over the course of the last half century, numerous training programs intended to develop creativity capacities have been proposed. In this study, a quantitative meta‐analysis of program evaluation efforts was conducted. Based on 70 prior studies, it was found that well‐designed creativity training programs typically induce gains in performance with these effects generalizing across criteria, settings, and target populations. Moreover, these effects held when internal validity considerations were taken into account. An examination of the factors contributing to the relative effectiveness of these training programs indicated that more successful programs were likely to focus on development of cognitive skills and the heuristics involved in skill application, using realistic exercises appropriate to the domain at hand. The implications of these observations for the development of creativity through educational and training interventions are discussed along with directions for future research.

Students of creativity have examined innovation in the arts, sciences, and engineering. Social innovation, the generation and implementation of new ideas about social relationships and social organization, has received less attention. This effort uses a case study approach, drawing from the historic record provided by Benjamin Franklin, to formulate some initial hypotheses about the strategies and tactics used to generate and implement social innovations. It was found that Franklin identified problems based on practical need, analyzed causes carefully, generated contextually appropriate low-cost implementation strategies, and built the support needed for demonstration projects. The implications of these strategies and tactics for innovation in modern organizations are discussed.

Over the course of his career, Guilford produced a remarkable body of research on creative thought. Today, this research is remembered primarily for its articulation of the notion that divergent thinking plays a key role in creative thought. However, a number of other capacities relevant to understanding creative thought were identified in the course of this research effort. In this article, I review this research program as a whole with special reference to those capacities that warrant more attention in current studies of creativity. Implications for current research are discussed.

Problem construction has been determined to be an important process contributing to creative problem solving. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether problem construction plays a role in how individuals interpret ambiguous, ill-defined problems in a way that fits with their personality. We also hypothesized that solution quality and originality would be related not only to problem construction ability but also to the degree to which the solution fits the personality of the individual. Students who participated in this study (N = 195) were asked to complete measures to identify personality types, a measure of problem construction ability, and a problem-solving exercise. Solutions were rated for fit of the solution to the personality, quality, and originality. Results suggest that problem construction ability is positively related to the fit of the solution to the personality type, and that solution quality and originality are related to both problem construction and solution fit. Implications ...

Although some evidence has been accrued for the validity of divergent-thinking tests, it has not been overwhelming. One problem with many of these studies is that they have not looked at divergent thinking in a population where creative problem solving is a requirement for performance. Another problem with many of these studies is that they have not focused on aspects of divergent thought that are most strongly related to performance in the domain at hand. Accordingly, in this study 1,818 organizational leaders were asked to complete a divergent-thinking measure. When performance indices obtained in this sample were correlated with scores on the divergent-thinking test, divergent thinking was found to predict performance, even when intelligence and expertise were taken into account. Furthermore, aspects of divergent thinking specifically related to leaders' creative problem-solving efforts, such as the use of principle-based alternatives, as well as complex and realistic alternatives, were found to be par...

Problem construction has been suggested as the first step in creative problem solving, but our understanding of the underlying process is limited. According to a model of problem construction (Mumford, Reiter-Palmon, & Redmond, 1994), problem construction ability, active engagement in problem construction, and the presence of diverse and inconsistent cues influence creative problem solving. To test these hypotheses, 195 undergraduates were asked to solve 6 real-life problems and complete a measure of problem construction ability. Active engagement in problem construction was manipulated by instructions to the participants. Cue consistency was manipulated by the information presented in the problem situation. The quality, originality, and creativity of the solutions were evaluated. Results indicated that problem construction ability was related to higher quality solutions as well as solutions rated as more original. Problem construction ability also interacted with cue consistency such that individuals wit...

Prior studies have shown that process-based measures of creative problem-solving skills can be developed that evidence some predictive validity and contribute to our understanding of creative thought. These studies, however, have focused on a single process. Because multiple processes are involved in creative thought, there is a need to examine their joint impact. To address this issue, 137 undergraduates were asked to work on 2 creative problem-solving tasks and complete a battery of measures examining relevant abilities and processing skills. Solution quality and originality scores obtained from the creative problem-solving tasks were regressed on these measures. It was found that the measures of process application were effective predictors of solution quality and originality, yielding significant gains in prediction when added to ability tests. The implications of these findings for the assessment of creative potential are discussed.

Many studies suggest that the combination and reorganization of extant knowledge structures may play an important role in creative thought. Little evidence is available, however, suggesting that performance on tasks where people are asked to combine and reorganize categories is related to creative thinking. Further, it is unclear how people go about combining and reorganizing diverse categories. In this study, 112 undergraduates were asked to work on a set of category combination problems. The relatedness of the categories was manipulated, and instructions were presented about how to go about combining these categories. Subsequently, people were asked to solve a series of novel, ill-defined problems. It was found that performance on the category combination task was related to the quality and originality of problem solutions. Further, when people were working with related categories, feature mapping instructions contributed to performance, while metaphor instructions contributed to performance when people...