Villanova University

Impact of Strength- Versus Deficiency-Focus in the Revision of Creative Ideas

Does focusing on strengths of an idea, suggested by practices like Appreciative Inquiry, help to improve subsequent idea revisions? The goal of our study is to understand the cognitive processes that underlie creative thinking. In this student research project, the participants were undergraduates ranging in age from 18 to 22 and assigned random subject numbers. While being conducted in a lab setting, these students were provided with an example case study of how one might focus on the strengths of an idea and accentuate them as well as the deficiencies of this idea and minimize them. The students were then asked to read a case study and answer questions focused on the case�s strengths or weaknesses, and revise the case ideas. Results suggest no difference between strength-focus and deficiency-focus in idea revision.