Shifting between modes of thought: A mechanism underlying creative performance?

Andrew PringlePhD candidate (Psychology)Supervisor: Dr Paul Sowden

Overview What are “different modes of thinking”?

Evidence suggesting that creative individuals are proficient at shifting

Experiment examining if creative individuals are better at

shifting modes than less creative individuals.

Convergent thinking

?=>

Modes of thinking

?

Divergent thinking

Deployment of different modes

Idea generation

Practicality within real-world constraints

Shifting between modes

Idea generation

Practical solutions within real-world constraints

Convergent thinking

Divergent thinking

Shifting modes

Are the creative better at shifting?Wolf & Mieg (2011):

Control over the mode of thinking deployed: self-report likert scale measuring the control of divergent and convergent thinking

Measure of creative performance: invention efficiency (IE): IE = Marketed patents Granted patents

Inducing shifting and assessing shifting efficiency?

Task inducing divergent thinking

Task inducing convergent

thinking method of inducing

shifts

Is shifting efficiency (related to) creative ability?

Inducing divergent thinking

sun

Divergent task

After-sun

After-partyAfter-math

Inducing convergent thinking

Convergent task

basket eightsnow

= “ball” 1 2 3 4 5

Extent to which solution generated by insight (aha! experience)

canedaddy plum

Inducing shifting

30sec

time

basket eight snow

show life row

dew cone bee

30sec

chair

watch

air

flake mobile cone

tape

cross rain tie

Pure Convergent

Block

Alternating Block

Pure Divergent

Block

Participant details & Creativity measure

Participant details students and staff at the University of Surrey Age (M = 22.40 years, SD = 2.24, range = 18-27) All native English speakers No dyslexics

Creative achievement questionnaire (CAQ) Domains (visual arts, music, dance, architectural design, creative writing, humour, inventions, scientific discovery, theatre and film and culinary arts).

Effects of shifting on convergent problem performance 3 measures: 1) % of correct solutions generated 2) average speed at which correct solutions were generated 3) Extent to which solutions arrived in an “aha moment”.

Alternating vs. pure block performance:

Difference score = mean of convergent scores in alternating block

- mean of convergent scores within pure block

Effects of shifting on % correct solutions

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

CAQ score

Diff

eren

ce in

% o

f cor

rect

Sol

utio

ns (A

ltern

atin

g vs

. Pu

re)

Difference in % correct solutions given within alternating vs. pure blocks across CAQ scores

(r = .12, p =.24).

Effects of shifting on speed of correct solutionsDifference in speed of correct solutions given within alternating vs. pure blocks across CAQ

scores

(rs = .32, p (one-tailed) = .02).0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

CAQ score

Diffe

renc

e in

spe

ed (m

sec)

of c

orre

ct s

olut

ions

(A

lt. v

s. P

ure)

R2 = .10

Insightful generation across blocks

Alternating Pure.00

.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

Block

Insi

ght r

atin

gs

Significantly higher ratings of “aha moments” (insight) Within alternating vs. pure problem blocks (F (1, 39) = 10.5, p = .002, ηp

2 .21, power= .89)

(M = 3.76, SE = .08) (M = 3.44, SE = .11)

Conclusions

Task inducing divergent thinking

Task inducing convergent

thinking Shifting modes

Proficient shifting (not related to) creative ability

Conclusions Creative individuals

divergent mindset convergent mindset

divergent mindset convergent mindset

Unexpected findings

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

-8000

-6000

-4000

-2000

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

CAQ score

Diffe

renc

e in

spe

ed (m

sec)

of c

orre

ct s

olut

ions

(A

lt. v

s. P

ure)

R2 = .10

Alternating Pure.00

.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

BlockIn

sigh

t rat

ings

Divergent thinking benefitting convergent problem performance?

Overall conclusion Findings so far fail to support hypothesis that more creative individuals are better at shifting.

Next:

Fully analyse performance within alternating vs. pure blocks on divergent problems.

Implications:

divergent thinking may facilitate insight on convergent problems.

Applications?