Unraveling the nature of design thinking disposition: Contributions of trait cognitive flexibility and trait empathy on design thinking potential

Design thinking, a human-centered and creative problem-solving approach, has garnered significant attention across various disciplines. However, its ambiguous conceptual nature and lack of a robust theoretical framework have been points of criticism. This study seeks to address the research question: What are the key psychological traits that contribute to an individual's design thinking disposition? To explore this, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 904 young adults (aged 18–35) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The survey measured trait cognitive flexibility, trait cognitive empathy (perspective-taking), trait affective empathy (empathic concern), and design thinking disposition, alongside personality traits (e.g., openness to experience), demographics, and academic performance. Results indicate that trait cognitive flexibility is strongly associated with design thinking disposition, and this relationship is mediated by cognitive empathy (perspective-taking), but not by affective empathy (empathic concern). These effects persist even when controlling for personal attributes such as age, education level, and openness to experience. The findings highlight the pivotal role of cognitive flexibility and underscore the importance of cognitive empathy over affective empathy in fostering design thinking. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the psychological foundations of design thinking and offers insights for developing evidence-based strategies to cultivate this important disposition.