Virtual Worlds. S(t)imulating Creativity in decision making

The significance of the earliest phase of decision making stems from the fact that decision makers 'frame' problems during this phase. These frames shape all subsequent decision making phases (Beach, 1997), fundamentally conditioning decision making outcomes (Daly et al., 2008). Avenues not considered at this stage are unlikely to be considered in the future (Adam, 2008). Further, decision making is most creative at these stages: there is a great deal of uncertainty at play but there are fewer constraints and there is less at stake. This paper argues that virtual worlds offer a potent combination of social, sensory and simulational capabilities that can stimulate creativity in decision making; and it also reports the findings of an investigation of the behavioural and cognitive aspects of creative decision making in Second Life®. The findings illustrate that Second Life users are faced with a kind of "tyranny of freedom": if anything is possible, where does one start? The answer appears to lie in a kind of "retrospective foresight" whereby decision makers draw upon prior experiences and use analogical reasoning to articulate metaphorical systems of thought.