Abstract
Creative individuals flexibly adjust attention focus — defocused when tasks are ambiguous, focused when well-defined — conferring strategic advantage in creative problem solving (Vartanian, 2009).
Vartanian, O. (2009). Variable attention facilitates creative problem solving. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 3(1), 57–59. DOI
Key findings
- Attention flexibility: — Creative people adjust focus as a function of task demands — not a stable defocused trait.
- Ambiguity modulation: — High ambiguity → defocused attention → slower processing; low ambiguity → focused attention → faster processing.
Application
When a designer facing an open brief (high ambiguity) benefits from broad scanning; switching to a specification review (low ambiguity) requires tight focus — creative performers toggle rather than default to one mode — open this cite for the study behind the move.