Teaching People to Manage Constraints: Effects on Creative Problem-Solving

Constraints often inhibit creative problem-solving. This study examined the impact of training strategies for managing constraints on creative problem-solving. Undergraduates, 218 in all, were asked to work through 1 to 4 self-paced instructional programs focused on constraint management strategies. The quality, originality, and elegance of solutions to social innovation problems were assessed. It was found that providing training in managing resource constraints was generally valuable. For talented individuals, providing training in managing user skill constraints also proved valuable. The implications of these findings for training intended to improve creative thinking are discussed. Acknowledgments Thanks to Dawn Eubanks and Sam Hunter for their contributions to this article. Parts of this research were supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (IIS-0852589), Michael D. Mumford, principal investigator. Notes Note. F = F ratio. df = Degrees of freedom. p = Significance level. η2 = Effect size (partial eta squared). Note. F = F ratio. df = Degrees of freedom. p = Significance level. η2 = Effect size (partial eta squared). Note. F = F ratio. df = Degrees of freedom. p = Significance level. η2 = Effect size (partial eta squared).