The Role of Creativity in the Hints Usage in Problem Solving

Abstract

The article reviews the theories of incubation in creative problem solving as well as different factors that influence effect size of incubation. Among these factors are the type of incubation problem and experimental task, presence of hints, and length of incubation period. The goal of experimental study was to demonstrate the mediating influence of creativity level on the efficacy of hints usage in solving divergent problem. The participants had to compose as many words as they could from the 12_letter word. Reading of texts that contained hints and searching of misprints in them was used as a task in incubation period. The effect of hints was revealed as a tendency. The usage of hints correlated negatively with creativity level for those subjects who solved the divergent task most effectively on a preparatory stage and received hints at the beginning of incubation. There was no correlation between hints usage and creativity level for the other subjects.