Effects of "brainstorming" instructions on creative problem solving by trained and untrained subjects.

Abstract

Two initial papers have reported the results of an investigation of the effects of the brainstonning method on creative thinking (Meadow & Parnes, 1959; Meadow, Parnes, & Reese, in press). In this method, a subject is instructed to attempt to solve problems by recording all tentative solutions which occur to him, postponing judicial evaluation of those solutions to a subsequent time period (Osborn, 1957). The results of the first experiment indicated that a class group instructed for one semester in creative problem solving methods (which emphasized brainstorming) increased its productivity in five of seven tests of creative ability as compared with a control group (Meadow & Parnes, 1959). The second study investigated the effects (in two creative ability problems) of the brainstonning method as compared with a good ideas, penalty for bad instruction, utilizing the same subjects for each instruction. Results again indicated a superior performance for the brainstorming instructions (Meadow et al., in press). Both of these experiments employed subjects who were taking the course in creative problem solving which emphasized brainstorming methods (Parnes, 1958). The present study was designed to determine whether the brainstonning instructions would be effective with untrained students who had never received previous instruction in the method. Three hypotheses were formulated: (a) With a group of untrained subjects, the brainstorming as compared with nonbrainstorming instructions will produce a significant increment in absolute number of good quality ideas 1 This research was financed by a grant from the Creative Education Foundation. on two creative ability problems. (6) The interaction effects found in a previous experiment (Meadow et al., in press) will be confirmed. Specifically, a nonbrainstorming instruction administered first will inhibit the absolute number of good quality ideas produced under a brainstorming instruction which follows. Similarly, a difficult problem administered first will inhibit the absolute number of good quality ideas produced in a relatively easy problem presented in a test period which follows, (c) If the brainstorming instructions are administered to a group of students who have taken a one-semester course in creative problem solving emphasizing this technique, and to a group of students who have not taken the course, the former group will produce a significantly greater absolute number of good quality ideas than the latter group. METHOD