Thinking beyond boundaries: A growth theory of interest enhances integrative thinking that bridges the arts and sciences

Abstract

Innovations often arise when people bridge seemingly disparate areas of knowledge, such as the arts and sciences. What leads people to make connections that others might miss? We examined the role of implicit theories of interest—the belief that interests are relatively fixed (a fixed theory of interest) or developed (a growth theory of interest) among people with established interests either in the area of arts or sciences. A stronger growth theory predicted that participants spontaneously noticed more stimuli from the area outside their interests (Studies 2 and 3) and generated better integrative ideas (Study 1). Furthermore, they were more likely to generate ideas that bridged the arts and sciences (Study 2), which was also found after inducing fixed or growth theories, establishing causality (Study 3). Finally,perceived utility of the outside area mediated this relation (Study 4). These results suggest that a growth theory may be important for integrative thinking and innovation across traditional disciplinary boundaries.