Thinking (neuro)divergently! Exploring the effects of ADHD on designers’ performance in convergent and divergent thinking tasks

Divergent and convergent thinking are critical in engineering design’s concept generation and selection stages. Distinct cognitive mechanisms influence these processes; while impulsive thought enhances divergent thinking, convergent thinking requires evaluative executive control. Prior research suggests that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may influence impulse inhibition and executive control, which could, in turn, influence divergent and convergent thinking performance. However, little research has investigated the impact of ADHD on performance outcomes during divergent and convergent design and non-design tasks. To address this gap, we conducted a causal-comparative study with participants with (n = 9) and without ADHD (n = 20). We compared the outcomes of convergent and divergent design and non-design tasks, based on the fluency, novelty, flexibility, and quality of the outcomes. Our findings reveal that participants with ADHD generated more novel ideas but fewer high-quality ideas. However, despite this discrepancy, they selected ideas of high novelty and quality. We also find that designers’ performance in non-design creativity-related tasks may not always represent their performance in design tasks. Despite challenges posed by ADHD, these findings demonstrate its positive effects on creativity and call into question the solely negative representation of neurodevelopmental disorders within educational settings.