ASSEMBLING THE BOX: THE ROLE OF CONSTRAINTS IN CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

Abstract

Although traditional conceptions of creativity argue for the benefits of a free and unconstrained creative process, recent research suggests that implementing constraints may enhance creative problem solving. Previous studies investigating this relationship, however, primarily examine the relationship between constraints and idea generation. The present effort aimed to add to our understanding of this relationship by examining the role of constraints at the process level. Approximately 300 undergraduate students completed an experimental task in which the type, number, and timing of constraints were manipulated. All participants engaged in four processes: problem identification, conceptual combination, idea generation, and idea evaluation prior to developing a final solution. Each process and the final proposal were coded and used as dependent variables in the analysis. Results suggest that introducing constraints prior to problem identification improves creative performance on final proposals and that constraints encourage engagement in evaluative processing. Findings regarding effects of types and amount of constraints on specific processes, as well as the implications of these results, are discussed.