Errors in Creative Problem-Solving: Identify, Deliberate, and Remediate

Abstract

It is often assumed creative performance is error free. Even a cursory inspection of eminent, creative, individuals indicates errors permeate creative efforts. In the present effort, the impact of error management on creative problem-solving is examined. Undergraduates, 136 in all, were asked to work through 10 potential problem solutions where half the solutions evidenced errors and half did not. Participants were asked to identify potential errors, deliberate on these errors, and remediate, or fix, errors prior to providing solutions to a problem calling for creative thought. It was found the number of errors correctly identified, and the quality of error remediation was positively related to the quality, originality, and elegance of problem solutions. More extensive deliberation, however, was found to be especially important for the production of original problem solutions. The implications of these observations for understanding the importance of error management in creative problem-solving are discussed.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Tristan McIntosh, Tyler Mulhearn, Cory Higgs, Michelle Todd, Yash Gujar, and Colleen Durban for their contributions to the present effort. Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Michael D. Mumford, Department of Psychology, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019 or [email protected] or Robert Martin at [email protected].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.