2 - Creativity

Question 1

creativity

Answer 1

= ideas or products that are novel (original, coming out of nowhere), surprising and useful
(violate expectations about what is normal)
-> the nature of ideas (how we think); it is generic, not art-specific but domain specific (linked to specific thing)

Question 2

how to study creativity in psychology

Answer 2

using domain general approach; divergent thinking

ex. the brick test; find as many alternate tasks with it as possible (compare quantity and quality of those)

Question 3

non-creative and creative doings …

Answer 3

… could be mediated by the same domain general process

Question 4

2 types of creativity - basic distinction

Answer 4

1. functional creativity: novelty for solving problems
2. display creativity: novelty for its own sake; artification

Question 5

functional creativity - extended

Answer 5

= developing novel solutions to existing problems
solve problem by trial and error learning (operant conditioning), links creativity to particular domain, makes it something specific

Question 6

2 steps of creative work (functional creativity)

Answer 6

1. problem finding/establishing
   (some problems find you, and others you find)
2. find solution -> be creative

Question 7

The problem solving cycle

Answer 7

1. problem formulation
2. proposal for a solution
3. solution implementation (cyclic, before final one is done)
   -> iterative creativity

Question 8

Problem solving is …

Answer 8

… intrinsically creative

Question 9

The vast majority of creativity is ..

Answer 9

… small incremental changes
(building on what was at here before, humans have hard time to adapt to fully new things)
[big changes happen as well, but very rarely]
-> functional creativity is about making something better than it has been before; staying in comfort zone of what is known to us -> a modification of an existing product

Question 10

Geneplore model - two components

Answer 10

gene = generation
plore = exploration
-> every creativity model incorporates these two components

Question 11

Generation (geneplore model)

Answer 11

shows the problem solving cycle (define -> formulate solution -> ideas -> test (which is exploration))

Question 12

Exploration (geneplore model)

Answer 12

the process of selection; eliminate what does not work
(requires decision making, may be influenced by others)
-> creative work is driven by a core idea (remains in the process); it is neither random nor fully formed and requires exploration

Question 13

Eureka Moment

Answer 13

creative idea comes in as flash, illumination; sudden moment brining the idea (no connection between how idea came and what it actually holds) -> divergent ideas
(creative ideas are mysterious and appear out of the blue; source cannot be traced)

Question 14

analytical thinking

Answer 14

• idea can be traced; often a modification
• inspired by someone else’s work
• the work of improvement is a creative process

Question 15

Phases of creative work

Answer 15

1. conception (generation); narrowing ideas to core idea
2. idea development (exploration); sketching, evolve core idea, experimentation, problem solving
3. production (exploration); produce the work, go back to step 2 if needed
4. completion
5. exhibition; real world usage

Question 16

Aesthetics definition

Answer 16

notion of appeal of something

Question 17

creative/aesthetic cycle

Answer 17

production (creativity, produce ideas), give it to consumers and see their feedback, they perceive the products aesthetics, dependent on the feedback it’s a best seller or failure
(creators produce work to appeal to taget audience)

Question 18

cultural evolution

Answer 18

having cultural variation but also selection; select certain things over others -> following a particular style (creativity is the source of the variance in cultural evolution models; the consumers use their aesthetics to select)

Question 19

cumulative culture

Answer 19

• winners of cultural evolution; products that have been selected and transmitted
• focus on rare winners; majority of creative products become extinct
  (can be used as baseline to define what is novel)

Question 20

conformity bias -> anti-creative

Answer 20

our biggest motivation is to be like everyone else; to fit in - rather anti-creative
-> our native habit is not to be creative; to be creative means to be different (in order to step out you need to learn first though, so imitate others)

Question 21

the paradox of becoming a creator

Answer 21

invest energy to get immersed into a field; knowing enough to be a specialist but not to
much to not be constrained - not fixing the mind to constrain creativity
(all creative work occurs within the context of stylistic movements in a domain; creativity in boundaries)

Question 22

mechanisms of generation

Answer 22

1. modification
2. blending
   (3. out of the blue insight)

Question 23

modification vs blending

Answer 23

one type of source vs 2 types of sources

Question 24

modification

Answer 24

• builds up on existing products (what is already there in culture/from others)
• based on analytical thinking (clear path - able to backtrack)
• an incremental change, such as a small improvement
• occurs firmly within stylistic boundaries

Question 25

blending

Answer 25

fuse several ideas; domain general process -> associativity
-> creating a fusion of two domains (conceptual blending)

Question 26

natural selection is a …

Answer 26

blend; mixes selection and nature processes

Question 27

cultural evolution is a …

Answer 27

blend; culture and biological evolution