1. Shifting between modes of thought: A mechanism underlying creative performance? Andrew Pringle PhD candidate (Psychology) Supervisor: Dr Paul Sowden

2. 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.

3. Convergent thinking ? => Modes of thinking ? Divergent thinking

4. Deployment of different modes Idea generation Practicality within real-world constraints

5. Shifting between modes Idea generation Practical solutions within real-world constraints Convergent thinking Divergent thinking Shifting modes

6. 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

7. 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?

8. Inducing divergent thinking sun Divergent task After-sun After-party After-math

9. Inducing convergent thinking Convergent task basket eight snow = “ball” 1 2 3 4 5 Extent to which solution generated by insight (aha! experience)

10. cane daddy plum

11. 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

12. 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).

13. 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

14. Effects of shifting on % correct solutions Difference in % correct solutions given within alternating vs. pure blocks across CAQ scores (r =.12, p =.24).

15. Effects of shifting on speed of correct solutions Difference in speed of correct solutions given within alternating vs. pure blocks across CAQ scores (r s =.32, p (one-tailed) =.02). R 2 =.10

16. Insightful generation across blocks Significantly higher ratings of “aha moments” (insight) Within alternating vs. pure problem blocks (F (1, 39) = 10.5, p =.002, η p 2.21, power=.89) (M = 3.76, SE =.08) (M = 3.44, SE =.11)

17. Conclusions Task inducing divergent thinking Task inducing convergent thinking Shifting modes Proficient shifting (not related to) creative ability

18. Conclusions Creative individuals divergent mindsetconvergent mindset divergent mindsetconvergent mindset

19. Unexpected findings R 2 =.10 Divergent thinking benefitting convergent problem performance?

20. 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?