The Effects Of Regulatory Focus On Creative Output In Divergent Thinking Task

The study of motivation influence on creative thinking had been going on for a longtime. Researchers in this field used to focus on the mechanism of internal and externalmotivation on creative thinking. The present study was aimed to explore the impact ofmotivation on creative thinking from the recently new perspective of Regulatory FocusTheory. Two experiments were concluded in this study.90undergraduates were recruited in Experiment one, and they were induced topromotion-focus state and prevention-focus state to inspect the difference of creativethinking. In Experiment two,381participants were first surveyed by Regulatory FocusQuestionnaire to screen out individuals at chronically promotion-focus state andprevention-focus state.76undergraduates were contacted as the final participants to inducetheir promotion and prevention-focus state so as to study the impact of situationallyinduced regulatory focus×chronically regulatory focus(regulatory fit or not) on creativethinking.Conclusions were as follows:(1)Situationally induced regulatory-focus had a significant effect on creative thinking.Individuals with situationally promotion-focus had higher thinking level than individualswith control in the dimensions of fluency, originality, flexibility&elaboration; individualswith situationally prevention-focus had higher thinking level than individuals with controlin the dimensions of fluency&flexibility.(2)Chronically regulatory focus had a significant effect on creative thinking.Individuals with chronically promotion-focus had higher thinking level than individualswith chronically prevention-focus in the dimensions of fluency, originality&flexibility.(3)Individuals with promotion regulatory fit had higher creative thinking level thanindividuals with prevention regulatory fit and those without regulatory fit in thedimensions of fluency, originality, flexibility&elaboration.(4)Interaction effect between chronically regulatory focus and situationally induced regulatory focus was existed.Conclusions were discussed on the basis of related theories. The author explained thereasons of phenomenon discussed above, while future research prospects were pointed outas well.