{"ID":2848050,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26490","arxiv_id":"2510.26490","title":"Scaffolding Creativity: How Divergent and Convergent LLM Personas Shape Human Machine Creative Problem-Solving","abstract":"Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly shaping creative work and problem-solving; however, prior research suggests that they may diminish unassisted creativity. To address this tension, a coach-like LLM environment was developed that embodies divergent and convergent thinking personas as two complementary processes. Effectiveness and user behavior were assessed through a controlled experiment in which participants interacted with either persona, while a control group engaged with a standard LLM providing direct answers. Notably, users' perceptions of which persona best supported their creativity often diverged from objective performance measures. Trait-based analyses revealed that individual differences predict when people utilize divergent versus convergent personas, suggesting opportunities for adaptive sequencing. Furthermore, interaction patterns reflected the design thinking model, demonstrating how persona-guided support shapes creative problem-solving. Our findings provide design principles for creativity support systems that strike a balance between exploration and convergence through persona-based guidance and personalization. These insights advance human-AI collaboration tools that scaffold rather than overshadow human creativity.","short_abstract":"Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly shaping creative work and problem-solving; however, prior research suggests that they may diminish unassisted creativity. To address this tension, a coach-like LLM environment was developed that embodies divergent and convergent thinking personas as two complementary proces...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26490","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.26490v1","authors":"[\"Alon Rosenbaum\",\"Yigal David\",\"Eran Kaufman\",\"Gilad Ravid\",\"Amit Ronen\",\"Assaf Krebs\"]","published":"2025-10-30T13:40:26Z","proceeding":"cs.HC","tasks":"[\"cs.HC\"]","methods":"[\"Large Language Model\",\"Language Model\",\"LoRA\"]","has_code":false}