Idea Generation, Selection, and Evaluation: A Metacognitive Approach

In the present investigation, we make the claim that the creative process of generating, evaluating, and selecting ideas has cognitive and metacognitive components, capable of influencing each other. Hence, we suggest broadening the scope of creative metacognition. We take an exploratory approach to test relationships between creative beliefs and metacognitive indicators in three studies with business students. Across three studies, overestimation of the quality of one's ideas and originality scores had a negative relationship with accurate idea selection. Creative self-efficacy, growth mindsets, and ease of idea generation were positively related to the overestimation of the creativity of ideas generated. In addition, creative self-efficacy and growth mindsets had a positive relationship with originality scores. We also found some results that were interesting, but inconsistent across all three studies. Ease of idea generation, for example, had a positive relationship with accurate idea selection but a non-significant relationship in the remaining two studies. Similarly, originality scores significantly informed ease of idea generation in one of three studies. The applied and theoretical implications for creative metacognition were discussed.