Creativity and Ethics: The Relationship of Creative and Ethical Problem-Solving

Scaling a common assessment of associative ability: Development and validation of a multiple-choice compound remote associates task

The assessment of creativity as an individual difference has historically focused on divergent thinking, which is increasingly viewed as involving the associative processes that are also understood to be a key component of creative potential. Research on associative processes has proliferated in many sub-fields, often using Compound Remote Associates (CRA) tasks with an open response format and relatively small participant samples. In the present work, we introduce a new format that is more amenable to large-scale data collection in survey designs, and present evidence for the reliability and validity of CRA measures in general using multiple large samples. Study 1 uses a large, representative dataset (N = 1,323,480) to demonstrate strong unidimensionality and internal consistency (α = .97; ωt = .87), as well as links to individual differences in temperament, cognitive ability, occupation, and job characteristics. Study 2 uses an undergraduate sample (N = 685) to validate the use of a multiple-choice format relative to the traditional approach. Study 3 uses a crowdsourced sample (N = 357) to demonstrate high test-retest reliability of the items (r =.74). Finally, Study 4 uses a sample that overlaps with Study 1 (N = 1,502,922) to provide item response theory (IRT) parameters for a large set of high-quality CRA items that use a multiple-choice response mode, thus facilitating their use in future research on creativity, insight, and related topics.

Creative thinking does not promote dishonesty

We assessed the relation of creativity and unethical behaviour by manipulating the thinking style of participants (N = 450 adults) and measuring the impact of this manipulation on the prevalence of dishonest behaviour. Participants performed one of three inducer tasks: the alternative uses task to promote divergent thinking, the remote associates task to promote convergent thinking, or a simple classification task for rule-based thinking. Before and after this manipulation, participants conducted the mind game as a straightforward measure of dishonesty. Dishonest behaviour increased from before to after the intervention, but we found no credible evidence that this increase differed between induced mindsets. Exploratory analyses did not support any relation of trait creativity and dishonesty either. We conclude that the influence of creative thinking on unethical behaviour seems to be more ambiguous than assumed in earlier research or might be restricted to specific populations or contexts.

Examining arts-based practice in midwifery education: An integrative review

AIMS

The aim of this integrative review is to synthesise the literature on creative teaching methods in midwifery education. The review question seeks to investigate the experiences of student midwives and midwifery educators of using creative methods as a learning approach.

BACKGROUND

The benefits of creative teaching methods are widely acknowledged but the ways in which this may impact midwifery students' learning processes, or how this relates to their developing professional development, is not well understood. Research focused specifically on student midwives is yet to be synthesised.

DESIGN

An integrative review was undertaken using data comparison with reflexive thematic analysis to identify common themes.

METHODS

Eight electronic databases were searched with key terms in June 2022. English language studies from qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods and wider literature were included.

RESULTS

Twenty-two texts were included in the synthesis. Four themes were generated from the data; 1) What is the offering - More than a lecture; exploring the educator and student exchange and environment for learning; 2) Working in parallel - examining the change in teaching dynamic and collaborative partnerships; 3) Journeying towards holism - focused on student's integration of learning processes; and 4) Stepping into the professional - engaging with how using creativity can aid students' growing sense of themselves as professionals. This highlights improvements in levels of confidence, professional development and emotional intelligence in midwifery students.

CONCLUSION

Creative teaching and learning methods enable student midwives to make meaningful connections between theoretical and practice learning environments, assisting knowledge and skills acquisition.

Dark, gray, or bright creativity? (Re)investigating the link between creativity and dishonesty

The question of whether and, if so, how creativity and unethical behavior such as dishonesty are related to each other has been addressed in multiple studies, with mixed results overall. The aim of this Registered Report is to shed further light on this issue. We first present a meta-analysis on the relation between creativity and dishonesty comprising the samples from a pre-registered multi-lab study (on a different topic), which indicated no relation between the constructs in question ( k = 19, N = 2,154, rp = .02). Next, we examined the relation between creativity and dishonesty in a study ( N = 1,152), in which we addressed several limitations of previous research. Specifically, we examined relations between comprehensively assessed creativity and dishonesty using subjective and objective indicators for both constructs. We found mixed results concerning the relation between creativity and dishonesty. In the majority of the confirmatory statistical tests, subjective creativity was positively related, whereas objective creativity was negatively related to dishonesty in the mind game. However, in exploratory analyses, we found that neither subjective nor objective creativity was related to dishonesty in the second dishonesty measure, the sender–receiver game.

The Relationship Between Burnout and Health Professionals' Creativity, Method, and Organization

BACKGROUND

This research focuses on problems relating to creativity and problem-solving capacity faced by a specific group of professionals, as they relate to worker burnout, which is prevalent in a large number of work environments.

OBJECTIVES

Our hypothesis was that creative people who follow method and order are less likely to suffer from burnout. Our objective was to demonstrate that health professionals working in surgery who are creative, methodical, and orderly have lower levels of burnout compared to others.

DESIGN

A correlational, analytical, and cross-sectional study with 70 health professionals working in surgery.

METHODS

A random sample of health professionals who worked in surgery at the Hospital Universitario de La Princesa in Madrid, Spain from 2011 to 2014 were studied. The variables considered in the study were: gender, age, profession, creativity score, method and order score, and burnout score. Measurement tools were CREA: creative intelligence (Corbalán & Martinez, 2003), MO2: method and order (Seisdedos, 1994), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a test of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1981), all of which were validated for the Spanish population.

RESULTS

Our data indicate that a worker's age influences his/her capacity to work with method and order, and that workers with emotional exhaustion (a basic feature of burnout) have lower scores in method and order. Greater emotional exhaustion and greater depersonalization were related to lower personal accomplishment and greater burnout.

CONCLUSION

people who work with method and order are less likely to suffer from burnout. We did not find a direct relationship between creativity and method and order or between creativity and burnout.

Outcomes of team creativity: a person-environment fit perspective

Purpose

Limited research where team creativity (TC) is positioned as an independent variable constitutes a weak point in the body of knowledge. This paper aims to offer three contributions to address this research gap: empirical research that has been conducted on the outcomes of TC is summarized; a person–environment fit perspective is applied to develop a conceptual model for TC; and directions for future empirical research are proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review is conducted to identify empirical research on the outcomes of TC. This is summarized into an extension of an existing framework that organizes empirical research on the antecedents of TC. Furthermore, the fit model for TC is developed, based on a person–environment fit perspective.

Findings

Research on the outcomes of TC has focused on three themes: performance; affective state; and processes. Gaps in this body of knowledge include limited knowledge on performance outcomes and a lack of research on potential negative outcomes. Recommendations for future research include: potential moderators of the relationship between TC and two outcome, innovation and team performance, are proposed; strain and unethical decision-making are proposed as potential negative outcomes of TC; and it is proposed that incorporating a temporal dimension would improve the understanding of the cyclical manner in which certain variables and TC may interact over time.

Originality/value

The organizing framework extension summarizes existing knowledge on the outcomes of TC, and together with the fit model for TC, this offers a basis for identifying research gaps and directions for future research. Specific directions for future empirical research are proposed.

A Comparison of the Effects of Ethics Training on International and US Students

As scientific and engineering efforts become increasingly global in nature, the need to understand differences in perceptions of research ethics issues across countries and cultures is imperative. However, investigations into the connection between nationality and ethical decision-making in the sciences have largely generated mixed results. In Study 1 of this paper, a measure of biases and compensatory strategies that could influence ethical decisions was administered. Results from this study indicated that graduate students from the United States and international graduate students studying in the US are prone to different biases. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for developing ethics education interventions to target these decision-making biases. In Study 2, we employed an ethics training intervention based on ethical sensemaking and used a well-established measure of ethical decision-making that more fully captures the content of ethical judgment. Similar to Study 1, the results obtained in this study suggest differences do exist between graduate students from the US and international graduate students in ethical decision-making prior to taking the research ethics training. However, similar effects were observed for both groups following the completion of the ethics training intervention.

A systematic review of creative thinking/creativity in nursing education

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to identify the types of nursing course structure that promotes students' creative thinking and creativity.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

Five electronic databases: The British Nursing Index, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and Ovid Medline.

REVIEW METHODS

The databases were systematically searched to identify studies that discussed the concept of creative thinking in nursing education or reported a strategy that improved students' creative thinking. Qualitative studies or studies that included qualitative data were included. After reading the full content of the included studies, key themes and concepts were extracted and synthesized.

RESULTS

Eight studies were identified. Four main themes relating to the course structure in teaching creativity were developed: diversity learning, freedom to learn, learning with confidence and learning through group work.

CONCLUSIONS

To promote creative thinking in nursing students, educators themselves need to be creative in designing courses that allow students to learn actively and convert thoughts into actions. Educators should balance course freedom and guidance to allow students to develop constructive and useful ideas. Confidence and group work may play significant roles in helping students to express themselves and think creatively.