CPI Creative Thinking & Problem Solving 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which cognitive technique involves deliberately adopting the perspective of someone with no prior knowledge of a problem to generate fresh ideas?
- Beginner's mind (Correct answer)
- Lateral thinking
- Reverse brainstorming
- Morphological analysis
Correct answer: Beginner's mind
Beginner's mind (shoshin) clears expert assumptions, allowing innovators to see a problem without preconceptions.
Question 2: In the Double Diamond design model, what happens in the second 'diverge' phase?
- Problem definition is narrowed
- Solutions are prototyped and explored (Correct answer)
- User research is gathered
- Final solutions are evaluated
Correct answer: Solutions are prototyped and explored
The second diamond's diverge phase generates a wide range of potential solutions before converging on the best one.
Question 3: Which barrier to creative thinking occurs when a person can only see an object used in its traditional way?
- Confirmation bias
- Functional fixedness (Correct answer)
- Anchoring effect
- Einstellung effect
Correct answer: Functional fixedness
Functional fixedness limits problem-solving by preventing people from seeing alternative uses for familiar objects.
Question 4: A team uses 'How Might We' (HMW) statements during ideation. What is the primary purpose of this technique?
- To assign blame for current failures
- To reframe challenges as open opportunities (Correct answer)
- To document completed solutions
- To evaluate feasibility of ideas
Correct answer: To reframe challenges as open opportunities
HMW statements convert problem statements into invitation-style prompts that encourage creative solution generation.
Question 5: What does the SCAMPER technique's 'R' stand for, and how is it applied?
- Replicate — copy a competitor's product
- Reverse/Rearrange — flip or reorder components to spark new ideas (Correct answer)
- Reduce — cut costs to improve viability
- Refine — polish an existing concept
Correct answer: Reverse/Rearrange — flip or reorder components to spark new ideas
The 'R' in SCAMPER stands for Reverse/Rearrange, prompting innovators to ask what happens when they invert or reorder elements.
Question 6: An innovator deliberately generates the worst possible solutions before seeking the best. This technique is called:
- Six Thinking Hats
- Reverse brainstorming (Correct answer)
- Mind mapping
- Analogical thinking
Correct answer: Reverse brainstorming
Reverse brainstorming identifies failure modes first, then inverts them to reveal effective solutions.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes 'analogical thinking' in creative problem solving?
- Breaking a problem into its smallest components
- Transferring structures or solutions from one domain to another (Correct answer)
- Generating ideas without judgment in a group setting
- Mapping all possible causes on a fishbone diagram
Correct answer: Transferring structures or solutions from one domain to another
Analogical thinking leverages parallels from unrelated fields to inspire novel approaches to current problems.
CPI Creative Thinking & Problem Solving 2
Which cognitive technique involves deliberately adopting the perspective of someone with no prior knowledge of a problem to generate fresh ideas?