Individual Differences in Subtractive Thinking and Creative Problem-Solving: Evidence for an Association with Convergent but not Divergent Thinking

Recent research suggests that people overlook the option to remove elements when making decisions or solving problems, preferring instead to make additive changes; however, little research has explored individual differences in this tendency to make subtractive changes. This study investigated the relationship between individual differences in creative thinking (via convergent and divergent thinking), and the tendency to suggest subtractive changes. Two-hundred fifty-two participants completed a sample of subtractive, convergent, and divergent thinking tasks. Only convergent thinking was weakly but significantly predictive of subtractive thinking. These results suggest that processes involved in creative cognition are related to subtractive thinking. More research is needed to refine the measurement of individual differences in subtractive thinking as well as to clarify the specific processes underlying the relationship between creative and subtractive thinking.