Research Design Connection: Supporting Creative Thinking
Breslin studied links between types of work breaks and creativity. What he learned can be applied by designers as they work, for example, as they brainstorm). Breslinâs findings can also inform the development of spaces that support creative thinking. Breslin âinvestigates the effect of off-task breaks, where individuals engage in a collective off-task activity, on group creativity.â He found that, âWhen compared to the noâbreak case, it is seen that offâtask breaks, in which all individuals participate in the group activity, lead to more original ideas being generated postâbreak. On the other hand, individual incubation breaks and selfâorganizing group breaks, lead to lower levels of postâbreak idea originality when compared with the noâbreak case. This research thus highlights the positive benefits of offâtask breaks involving full member participation, on the creative process in groups.â
Dermot Breslin. âOff-Task Social Breaks and Group Creativity.â The Journal of Creative Behavior, in press, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jocb.229
Sally Augustin, PhD,a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designersâ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before theyâre available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designerâs Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.