Creativity comes from interaction: Multi-modal analyses of three-creator communication in constructing a Lego castle

Abstract

We explored how three people communicate verbally (i.e. chatting, discussion) and nonverbally (i.e. gazes, gestures) in creating a Lego(R) castle collaboratively. We also investigated how such communication behaviors can be cues for a “better” and “more creative” castle. In Experiment 1, we asked a total of 30 students (3 people × 10 groups) to construct a castle fully in collaboration with the group members. In Experiment 2, we asked the other 27 students to assess the quality (“how good the castle is”) and creativeness (“how creative the castle is”) for the photographed castles. The verbal, gestural, and gazing behaviors of the creators were analyzed quantitatively. We conducted path analyses to identify parameters determining the quality and the creativeness, showing that the degree of communication behaviors was reflected in the evaluation of the created castle. In detail, the quality was enhanced by looking at the other group members as well as by discussing the content of the castle. The creativeness was determined by the degree of chatting and representational gestures. These results suggest the communication process in multiple-agent creation: Rapport can be constructed efficiently by chatting with the other members; creators can share divergent ideas; and they can construct a creative object.