problem 4 - creativity Flashcards
creativity as a problem - 5 steps
- problem recognition
- preparation - info on the problem space is collected from external sources or memory
- idea generation - multiple solutions to the problems are generated
- evaluation - potential solutions are then evaluated; which solution best solves the problem and meets all requirements?
- implementation
intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation
(and relation to creativity)
intrinsic = motivation stemming from the task itself
extrinsic = motivation to gain some extrinsic reward
intrinsic motivation seen as a precursor of creativity VS rewards (extrinsic) believed to reduce intrinsic motivation
- BUT research on neg effect of rewards is scarce
both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation might enhance creativity bc individuals are more motivated to engage in the processes leading to creativity, and to show persistence
context and creativity
job design: autonomy & job complexity
research has linked autonomy and job complexity to creativity requirements and higher creative performance:
* ppl in complex jobs with high levels of autonomy - have many options in how to carry out their tasks = leads to creativity
* both autonomy and job complexity are intrinsically motivating - linked to creativity
* experience higher levels of positive affect, which facilitates creative problem-solving
context and creativity
job design: demands
relationship between demands & creativity is complex - mixed findings:
* challenging work: having a sense of important work to do - seems to stimulate creativity
* workload pressure: excessively high demands - seen as an obstacle that hinders creative thinking
might be that ppl w high self efficacy see high demands as challenges & those w low self efficacy see it as workload pressure
context & creativity
social context
informational support: indicates that valuable information is exchanged
emotional support: indicates that individuals care about each other and provide encouragement
both forms of support, but primarily informational support, are provided when work groups are characterized by high levels of communication
* groups w more communication → higher levels of creativity
* communication in the work group has been linked to both individual and team innovation
macro perspective (jobs & creativity)
the 3 facets of organizational culture & climate
- affective facet: the perception of employees that there are pos social relationships in the organization + that individuals care about each other & treat each other w respect
- cognitive facet: the perception that learning and improvement are important, that change is accepted and innovation is supported
- instrumental facet: the perception that structure and hierarchy are important in the organization, that extrinsic rewards of pay are used, and that there are high levels of demands and challenges
macro perspective (jobs & creativity)
the 3 facets x creativity
affective and cognitive facets are linked to higher levels of employee creativity
* organization w an affective climate → employees will trust each other and share ideas openly without fear that neg consequences will follow
* organization w a cognitive climate → employees will see a high necessity to develop novel and useful ideas (creative requirements)
micro perspective (jobs & creativity)
affective work events x creativity
- individuals can be more creative when experiencing pos affect
- suggested that goal progress or task mastery is an important precursor of pos affect at work
- pos affect arises when individuals are able to do their job + this pos affect fosters their daily engagement in creative processes
3 ways to foster creativity at work
- build trusting relationships among employees and foster a supportive climate
- strengthen the perception that creativity is required
- provide a working environment that allows employees to experience positive affect
general relationship between mindfulness & creativity
mindfulness is beneficial for several affective & cog factors, many of which are imp for driving creativtiy - e.g. pos affect, WM & cog flexibility
expect a uniform and pos link between mindfulness & creativity - HOWEVER, mindfulness is a multifaceted construct = is plausible that the relationship actually depends on the specific mindfulness component activated
observation vs AWA in predicting creativity
observation: associated with increased cog flexibility, distributed attentional focus & inhibition of automatic responding - all cog mechanisms that constitute key drivers of creative cognition
acting w awareness: associated with restrictive attentional & reduced mind wandering - may be detrimental for creative idea generation
baas et al (2014)
uniform vs differential hypothesis
(mindfulness & creativity)
uniform hypothesis: a pos relationship between mindfulness and creativity across individual components of mindfulness
differential hypothesis: mindfulness skills may differentially predict creativity, with observation being more strongly related to creativity than AWA
baas et al (2014)
study 1
(mindfulness & creativity)
examined the association between the mindfulness skill AWA and creative ideation
* measured big 5 traits & intelligence as other potential influencing variables
* creative ideation task
results: AWA was associated with decreased originality, infrequency of ideas, and fluency
* shows that the AWA was associated with decreased rather than increased creativity
supports differential hypothesis
baas et al (2014)
study 2
(mindfulness & creativity)
tested the contrasting predictions by linking creativity indicators to the different dimensions of KIMS (measures all 4 mindfulness skills)
* creative ideation task
* also measured self-reported creative achievements & behavior
results:
* of the 4 skills, observation was the only reliable predictor of creative achievements, creative behavior, and originality
* except for fluency, observation was reliably associated with increased creativity and flexibility
* inconsistent with findings from Study 1, results from study 2 showed that AWA was not associated with creativity
further support for differential hypothesis
baas et al (2014)
study 3
(mindfulness & creativity)
aimed to provide causal evidence for the mindfulness–creativity link using a longitudinal design in which mindfulness was manipulated with an extensive 8-week mindfulness training
* target variables mindfulness skills and creative behavior were measured before the start and during the final week of training
* no creative ideation task
* control & mindfulness conditions
results:
* observation was the only consistent predictor of creative behavior
* strongest increase in mindfulness skills was seen for observation
* mindfulness experience increased in mindfulness condition but not in control
* overall change in mindfulness DID NOT predict change in creative behavior + increase in observation skills due to mindfulness training PARTLY EXPLAINED the increase in creative behavior
supports differential hypothesis
baas et al (2014)
study 4
(mindfulness & creativity)
measured particpant’s mood & motivation as mediators + addressed issue of lack of specificity from study 3
* participants listened to a mindfulness meditation fragment that was based on transcripts of meditation manipulations - either observation or AWA condition
* same creative ideation task + measure of mood & motivation
* mindfulness manipulation check
results:
* observation condition → more original and generated more infrequent ideas than those in the AWA condition
* Participants’ motivation does not play a mediating role
supports differential hypothesis
baas et al (2014)
conclusion
(mindfulness & creativity)
all studies clearly support the differential hypothesis + provide strong evidence for a differential relation between mindfulness and creativity
observation was the only skill that consistenly predicted enhanced creativity
* ability to observe has been associated with increased cognitive flexibility - considered a key driver of creativity
relation between AWA and creativity is less consistent
* Study 1 - AWA was negatively associated with creativity
* study 2 - AWA did not predict creativity
* study 3 - zero-order correlations showed no reliable relation between AWA
* some aspects of AWA may harm creativity (e.g. narrow attention) other may facilitate (e.g. WM capacity)
psychopathologies
approach vs avoidance systems
approach system: deals with appetitive motivation & approach behavior toward rewarding and novel stimuli + chronic approach sensitivity, especially toward novel stimuli
* associated with increased creativity
* psychopathologies - hypomania, positive schizotypy
avoidance system: deals with withdrawal motivation & avoidance behavior away from aversive stimuli and threatening circumstances
* associated with decreased creativity
* psychopathologies - anxiety, depressive moods, negative schizotypy
approach system & creativity
activation of the approach system stimulates flexible thinking and the engagement in creative experiences, = promotes creativity
chronic sensitivity of the approach system - reflected in stronger novelty seeking, extraversion, pos affectivity, openness to experience, and approach temperament
approach motivation associated with enhanced flexibility, engagement in creative experiences, and creative performance
avoidance system & creativity
activation of the avoidance system stifles flexible thinking and the engagement in creative experiences = prevents creativity
chronic sensitivity of the avoidance system - reflected in stronger neuroticism, neg affectivity, and avoidance temperament
avoidance-related traits and states - associated with reduced flexibility and bc chronic avoidance sensitivity also associates with a reduced preference for things novel and creative, it generally predicts decreased creativity
avoidance system & vulnerability to psychopathology
symptoms associated with anxiety and depressive disorders as well as the negative symptoms of schizophrenia → are all linked to increased sensitivity in the avoidance system
anxiety: grounded in the avoidance system - trait anxiety is related to high neuroticism, negative emotionality, and avoidance temperament
depressive mood: grounded in the avoidance system - is negatively related to positive emotionality and positively related to anxiety, neuroticism, negative emotionality, and avoidance temperament
approach system & vulnerability to psychopathology
symptoms associated with bipolar disorders and, to a lesser extent, the pos symptoms associated with psychotic disorders → have been linked to increased sensitivity in the approach system
schizotypy: unusual experiences (pos schizotypy, approach system), implusive nonconformity, anhedonia (neg schizotypy, avoidance system) & cognitive disorganiztion
hypomania: characterized by pervasive elevated or irritable moods, and thoughts and behaviors that are consistent with such moods
baas et al (2020)
hypotheses
(creativity & psychopathology)
inclinations toward psychopathologies that are grounded in the avoidance system (anxiety, depressive mood, negative schizotypy) will negatively predict creativity
inclinations toward psychopathologies that are grounded in the approach system (hypomania, positive schizotypy) will positively predict creativity
baas et al (2020)
study 1a & 1b
(creativity & psychopathology)
measured anxiety, depressive mood, hypomania, and schizotypy + had participants generate creative uses for a brick to assess creative performance (Study 1a) or report creative achievements in different domains (Study 1b)
results:
* pos schizotypy & hypomania → associated with increased creative ideation & creative achievements
* consistent with predictions, approach VTP positively predicted creative ideation but avoidance VTP did not predict
* consistent with predictions, approach VTP positively predicted creative achievements but avoidance VTP did not
baas et al (2020)
study 2
(creativity & psychopathology)
identical to study 1 procedure BUT used 3 diff measures of creatvity rather than just 1
measured creative behavior, achievements & ideation
results:
* pos schizotypy and hypomania were associated with increased creative behavior and achievements
* consistent with predictions, approach VTP positively predicted creativity
* inconsistent with predictions, but consistent with the results described in Study 1, avoidance VTP did not predict creativity
baas et al (2020)
study 3
(creativity & psychopathology)
considered approach sensitivity as a potential mediator and focused specifically on chronic approach sensitivity toward novelty seeking
* predicted that approach VTP pos predicts novelity seeking & creativity (& avoidance neg predicts)
* measured VTP, novelty seeking & creative behavior
results
* consistent with predictions, approach VTP positively predicted novelty seeking and avoidance VTP negatively predicted novelty seeking
* novelty seeking, in turn, positively predicted creativity
baas et al (2020)
conclusions
(creativity & psychopathology)
Showed that, when approach and avoidance related psychopathology were simultaneously used to predict creativity, avoidance VTP has little or no effects on creativity, whereas approach VTP is associated with increased creativity
also showed that approach rather than avoidance VTP positively predicts various indicators of creativity because it associates with stronger individual differences in novelty seeking
