Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Logan L. Watts
Second Advisor
Michelle P. Martín-Raugh
Third Advisor
Larry R. Martinez
Abstract
This study examined the role of feedback valence (positive vs. negative) and format (question vs. statement) in influencing creative performance. Grounded in self-determination theory, the study also tested whether feedback acceptance mediated the effects of feedback characteristics on creative outcomes. Psychology undergraduate students (N = 308) completed a creative task in which they generated and developed ideas for community-based projects addressing psychological issues. Participants were randomly assigned to receive positive or negative feedback presented either as a statement or a question, or to a no-feedback control condition. Creative performance was evaluated across three dimensions: originality, quality, and elegance. Results showed that feedback valence and format did not significantly influence idea quality, elegance, or feedback acceptance. In addition, receiving feedback did not lead to higher creative performance compared to the no-feedback condition. A small effect of feedback format emerged for originality, such that statement-based feedback resulted in higher originality scores than question-based feedback. Feedback acceptance did not mediate the relationship between feedback format and creative performance. Exploratory analyses indicated that openness and agreeableness were positively associated with originality. Overall, the findings suggest that simple variations in feedback wording may have limited impact on short-term creative performance. These results highlight the importance of considering more substantive and context-rich feedback approaches when seeking to enhance creativity.
Keywords
Feedback, feedback valence, feedback format, positive feedback, negative feedback, statement feedback, question feedback, feedback acceptance, feedback receptivity, creativity, creative performance, creative problem-solving, feedback and self-determination theory
Disciplines
Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Psychology
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Tran, Ellie H., "Can Feedback Framing Improve Creative Problem-Solving? Examining the Effects of Valence and Format" (2026). Psychology Theses. 3.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/psychology_theses2/3