Metacognitive feelings as a source of information in the evaluation and selection of creative ideas

Abstract In two studies, we examined the interaction between different cognitive and metacognitive indicators coming from the acts of generating, evaluating and selecting ideas, putting special emphasis on metacognitive feelings. In addition, we examined experiential thinking style and creative potential as antecedents of metacognitive feelings. Participants in study 1 completed a battery of questionnaires including an ill-defined marketing problem. Results showed a positive relationship between experiential thinking style and metacognitive feelings. Metacognitive feelings had a positive relationship with an indicator of overestimation of the creativity of ideas, which then a negative relationship with accurate idea selection. Creative potential had a negative relationship with an indicator of overestimation of the creativity of ideas. We conducted a conceptual replication in study 2. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including an ill-defined social problem. Results showed positive relationships between metacognitive feelings and originality scores and relevance of strengths and weaknesses identified in the ideas generated. Relevance of strengths and weakness had then a positive relationship with accurate idea selection. Our findings showed that metacognitive feelings informed two forms of idea evaluation. The implications of our results were discussed.