Opposite Effect of Social Evaluation on Creative Idea Generation in Early and Middle Adolescents

The aim of the present study was to examine how social evaluation influences creative idea generation, and whether this effect develops with age. To do so, early adolescents, middle adolescents, and late adolescents performed a creative task either alone or under the supervision of an adult examiner. Three major findings emerged: 1) the social evaluation by an adult expert is detrimental to creativity in children but 2) beneficial in...