Matching Creativity Perceptions and Capabilities: Exploring the Impact of Feedback Messages

Abstract

This two-part study first examines the accuracy of participants’ self-perceptions of creativity and looks at the effects of positive or negative feedback on creativity capability or output. Results of online testing showed that participants with higher self-perceived creativity were ultimately more creative. In part two, participants were provided positive, negative or neutral feedback regarding their first creativity exercises and retested using the same creativity measures. An ANOVA demonstrated no difference in the change in creative output from pre-test to post-test evaluations based on the type of randomly generated feedback message. While not significant, trends are highlighted in the data that warrant further examination in future research. Implications of the findings for instructors are discussed.