CREATIVITY AND UNCERTAINTY

• Mueller, J.S., Melwai, S., & Goncalo, J.A. (2012). The bias against creativity: Why people desire but reject creative ideas. Psychological Science, 23(1), 13–17. doi: 10.1177/0956797611421018

If I had to explain this article to a friend, I would say....

This article was about two experiments that explored novelty versus practicality

Experiment 1 

-included implicit and explicit test of attitudes that had bias against creativity, using response that were timed to measure certainty.  Pairings of words were used to identify bias toward practicality or creativity.

Experiment 2:  

-measured tolerance for uncertainty

Outcome:

-people hold ambivalence attitudes about creativity unless they was motivation to reduce uncertainty by creating a practical, single best option

-showed that uncertainty limited the ability to recognize creative ideas- referred to as a deep irony... the high need for certainty is when creativity is needed most 

Things I want to remember:

*Definition of creative ideas- ideas that are novel and useful

*Definition of uncertainty- an aversive state that people feel as strong motivation to diminish and avoid

*The reason that creativity was explicitly valued by often rejected is that people want to reduce or avoid uncertainty.  

*The greater the need for certainty, the more bias, whether it was a personal trait or circumstance of the person.  

*Uncertainty creates a blinding effect toward creativity.  In uncertainty, how can we see creativity?

*The deep irony... in times of uncertainty, is the time when creativity is most!!!!!!