| dc.description.abstract | The literature on creativity has long held that one of the most central processes central to the success of any creative problem-solving endeavor is the gathering of information that is pertinent for task completion, most notably the key facts and anomalies that are at play in the specific creative context. However, previous findings regarding the relationship between distractors and creative performance have been mixed. We review the arguments present in the literature surrounding the potential benefits or drawbacks of distractors for creativity. We then in turn investigate, using an undergraduate sample, the effects of task-relevant or task-irrelevant distractors as well as time pressure on the information gathering process as part of an educational leadership task requiring creative problem-solving. Participants were asked to take on the role of principal at a new experimental high school. These participants were required to read through a wealth of information related to task completion and were then tasked with creating a plan to “achieve academic excellence” in their new experimental high school. Outcomes included amount of information gathered, the extent to which gathered information included key facts and/or anomalies, and the quality, originality, and elegance of final plans. Findings indicate that distractors extend information search, but do not contribute to the gathering of key facts or anomalies. Distractors also did not impact quality, originality, or elegance of creative plans. Implications of these findings for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords: creativity, distraction, information gathering, problem-solving | en_US |
