Video Module 30: Creativity

Question 1

well-defined problems

Answer 1

those where all four aspects of the problem (initial state, goal state, operators, constraints) are specified

Question 2

ill-defined problems

Answer 2

those where one or more aspects of the problem (initial state, goal state, operators, constraints) are not well specified

Question 3

What makes creative problems ill-defined?

Answer 3

We consider solutions to ill-defined problems to be creative because we must come up with ways to make up for unspecified aspects of the problem.

Question 4

convergent thinking

Answer 4

We use convergent thinking to come up with a specific answer that satisfies given constraints
- We use convergent thinking to solve insight problems

Question 5

divergent thinking

Answer 5

We use divergent thinking when there are almost no constraints on possible solutions to a problem, and the goal is to come up with a diverse set of possible answers
- We use divergent thinking in divergent thinking tasks
- coming up with as many solutions as possible

Question 6

insight problems

Answer 6

those where the solution to the problem seems to come suddenly; where there is only one, specific solution to the problem
- We use convergent thinking to solve insight problems
- e.g. The Bronze Coin Problem

Question 7

remote associates test

Answer 7

A test that showcases an example of insight problems
—When presented with three words, participants are tasked to think of a fourth word that is related to all three words
—e.g. “ache, sweet, burn”
—The answer is “heart”

Question 8

Wallas’ (1926) four stages of creative thought

Answer 8

1. preparation: information gathering
2. incubation: a conscious break
3. illumination: insight emerges
4. verification: the details worked out to solve a problem

Question 9

What is a period of “incubation”?

Answer 9

A period of incubation is a conscious break away from a problem
- Proposed by Wallas (1926)
- Purportedly helps people resolve an insight problem “in a flash”
—studies of incubation periods have been unreliable

Question 10

How might taking time away from an insight problem allow us to find the answer?

Answer 10

1. we forget unsuccessful strategies; sometimes we get fixated on wrong solutions
2. we can reduce fatigue; additional effort may not be fruitful if we are too tired
3. time away supports mind-wandering and spreading activation to new ideas: when our mind wanders, we may activate information that is relevant to the problem, which allows us to find the solution easier
   —It is unlikely that we are “unconsciously solving” the problem

Question 11

How do researchers score alternative uses tests?

Answer 11

1) originality: How often other people come up with the same answer; less common = more original
2) fluency: The total number of responses you produce
3) flexibility: The number of different categories that your answers fall into
4) elaboration: The amount of detail in each of your answers

Question 12

How do researchers test divergent thinking?

Answer 12

Researchers can test divergent thinking using:
1) alternative uses tests
2) tests that require participants to draw items using different templates
—circles or Xs tests
—incomplete figures tests
- children tend to perform better than adults on divergent thinking tasks because they often do not consider how ‘realistic’ their answers may be

Question 13

productive thinking

Answer 13

involves insights that go beyond the bounds of existing associations
—Gestalt approach
—thinking in which we go beyond the methods or plain information we are giving
—e.g. in a study, Wertheimer gave participants a method for solving for the area of a parallelogram. He then gave participants trapezoids and asked participants to solve for their area
—Productive thinking would be creating a new method for solving for the area of the trapezoids, related to the method of solving for the area of a parallelogram, but not the same (because trapezoids and parallelograms are not the same)

Question 14

reproductive thinking

Answer 14

based on existing associations involving what is already known, habits, and procedures
—Gestalt approach
—e.g. in a study, Wertheimer gave participants a method for solving for the area of a parallelogram. He then gave participants trapezoids and asked participants to solve for their area
—Reproductive thinking would be incorrectly using the method to solve for a parallelogram’s area to solve for the trapezoids’ areas

Question 15

mental sets

Answer 15

frames of mind which involve a certain representation of a problem, its context, or a procedure for solving it
- you become “set” or fixated in using a certain approach
—a mental set influences us into using a strategy, even it’s an ineffective strategy
—we may make wrong assumptions about the constraints of a problem without realising it

Question 16

functional fixedness

Answer 16

the inability to realize that something that has a certain use might also be used for performing other functions
- making-up imaginary constraints for the uses of an object
- e.g. candle, matches, and tacks problem