Next, we gave the students false feedback on their ideas, allegedly based on an algorithm and the other participants’ ratings. We said to some students that their idea was very original, to others that their idea was more conventional. We then shared with some students in both groups that we think their idea could make a splash in the food industry – and that we are considering featuring it on the cover of the university magazine and on social media channels. This was an attempt to simulate winning a prestigious prize.
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After this phase, we asked the participants to choose between developing an idea for a second, different cookbook or a strategy to market or otherwise exploit their first idea. After making their choice, they were asked to indicate to what extent they felt the development of a second idea or marketing strategy threatened their creative identity.