The effect of example abstraction on creativity from the perspectives of example modality and generality

Abstract

Examples can be beneficial or even detrimental to creativity under certain scenario. Presenting examples properly and stimulate the ability of creative idea generation matters to many fields including education, science, engineering, design, and the arts. Examples differing in abstract levels have been investigated in creativity literature, but it has not yet been demonstrated which abstraction level is most effective for boosting creativity. This study examined the effect of example abstraction in terms of example modality (i.e., pictorial or textual) and generality (i.e., categorical or specific) on creativity. Examples varying in modality (Experiment 1) or generality (Experiment 2) were presented to participants before a creativity task. In Experiment 1, 176 senior high school students were randomly assigned to textual-example (more abstract), pictorial-example (less abstract), and control (i.e., no example) groups. The results showed that idea fluency, originality, and flexibility were higher in the textual example group than in the pictorial example group. In Experiment 2, 165 senior high school students were randomly assigned to categorical-example (i.e., more abstract), specific-example (i.e., less abstract), and control groups. The results demonstrated no significant difference in idea fluency, originality, or flexibility between categorical and specific example groups. Moreover, idea originality, rather than fluency or flexibility, was higher in both example groups than in the control group. These findings indicate that example modality, rather than generality, can affect creativity. In comparison with pictorial examples, textual examples may activate a broader range of knowledge and contribute to creativity.