Tradeoffs Between Ideas and Structure: Individual Versus Group Performance in Creative Problem Solving

The present effort was intended to assess how situational variables influence the relative performance of groups and individuals on creative problem-solving tasks. More specifically, a priming manipulation was used to increase the number of alternatives available for problem solving while training was used to provide groups with shared mental models bearing on the problem. It was found that having more ideas available led to better individual performance. Group performance, however, was enhanced by training appropriate to problem content that allowed for elaboration and refinement of ideas. These findings indicate that interventions intended to enhance creativity may have different effects at the individual and group level. The need to consider multiple levels of situational influences in attempts to understand creative achievement is discussed.     

Partner support and marital satisfaction: Support amount,adequacy, provision,and solicitation

To compare the extent to which (a) amount versus adequacy of received support and (b) support provision versus solicitation behaviors predict marital satisfaction, married couples from the United States (N= 275) provided perceptions of received support and participated in 2 support transactions. Actor–partner interdependence modeling and structural equation modeling techniques were employed. Husbands’ perceptions of support adequacy predicted marital satisfaction more than their perceptions of support amount, whereas the results were generally the opposite for wives. Husbands’ provision and wives’ solicitation behaviors predicted marital satisfaction. Results suggest the need to move beyond simple counts of support received to examining support adequacy—and the various behaviors and roles involved in supportive transactions—to enhance theories of support and relationship functioning.