CREATIVE

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CREATIVE COGNITION by Dr. Steven M.
Smith Department of Psychology
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Creativity Creativity The Mind Research in
Creative Cognition A Few Principles of Creativity

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Creative Cognition

• Concepts Categories
• Visualization
• Memory
• Problem Solving
• Language

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Example The Hubble Fix

• Fixation
• Incubation
• Insight
• Conceptual Combination
• Analogy
• Visualization

James Crocker NASA Engineer
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Example The Hubble Fix
Fixation
Incubation
Problem Solved!
Insight
Problem
Visualization
Analogy

Conceptual Combination
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Kary Mullis
The Polymerase Chain Reaction
PCR
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Auguste Kekule Benzene
James Crocker Hubble Repair
Kary Mullis PCR
Experimental Studies of Fixation, Incubation
Insight
Archimedes Displacement Principle
Henri Pioncare Fuschian Functions
Beethoven Canon for piano
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Implicit Memory
Complete These Fragments A _ _ L _ G Y B _ _ G
A _ E C _ T _ A G _ C H A R T _ _ C _ U _ T _
R C _ U _ P _ T D _ N _ I T Y F I _ _ U R E H _ _
S T _ R T _ N _ G _ T T R _ _ _ G Y V O _ A G E _
Read These ANALOGY BRIGADE COTTAGE CHARTER CLUSTER
CRUMPET DENSITY FIXTURE HOLSTER TONIGHT TRILOGY V
OYAGER
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Implicit Memory Blocking Blocker
Fragment ANALOGY A _ L _ _ G Y BRIGADE
B _ G _ A _ E
Target ALLERGY BAGGAGE
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Implicit Memory Blocking Blocker
Fragment ANALOGY A _ L _ _ G Y BRIGADE
B _ G _ A _ E COTTAGE C _ T A _ _
G CHARTER C H A R _ T _ CLUSTER C _ U _
T R _ CRUMPET C U _ P _ _ T DENSITY D _
_ N I T Y FIXTURE F _ I _ U R E HOLSTER
H _ S T _ R _ TONIGHT T _ N G _ _
T TRILOGY T R _ G _ _ Y VOYAGER V O _ _
A G E
Target ALLERGY BAGGAGE CATALOG
CHARITY COUNTRY CULPRIT DIGNITY
FAILURE HISTORY TANGENT TRAGEDY
VOLTAGE
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Conclusion
Implicit knowledge can cause invisible impasses.
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Stimuli from Smith Blankenship (1991)
Remote Associates Test Problems Blockers Solutions
SALAD HEAD GOOSE lettuce
egg
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Stimuli from Smith Blankenship (1991)
Remote Associates Test Problems Blockers Solutions
SALAD HEAD GOOSE lettuce
egg
BED DUSTER WEIGHT room
feather
APPLE HOUSE FAMILY green
tree
CAT SLEEP BOARD black
walk
WATER SKATE CUBE sugar
ice
ARM COAL STOP rest
pit
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Conclusion
Implicit knowledge can cause invisible impasses
when you try to solve problems.
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Idea Generation Conceptual Extension
Imagine another planet similar to Earth
What sort of life forms evolve there?
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Sample Creatures from Smith et al. (1993)
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Creature Ideas From Smith et al. (1993)
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Sample Toys from Smith et al. (1993)
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Toy Idea Fixated Group from Smith et al. (1993)
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Toy Idea Non-Fixated Group from Smith et al.
(1993)
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Conclusion
Implicit knowledge can cause invisible impasses
when you try to think creatively.
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Alignment of Methods Across Levels of Complexity
Ecological Validity

• LAB EXPERIMENT
• Highly controlled environment
• Simple tasks
• Study single cognitive process or structure
• Tests individuals
• No direct relation to engineering design

• DESIGN EXPERIMENT
• Limited designer expertise incentive
• Fictitious problem
• Play environment
• Maximum freedom
• Synthetic group
• Involves group dynamics
• Multiple interacting processes limited control
• No penalty for failure

• REAL WORLD DESIGN
• Corporate experience
• Designer expertise
• Technical complexity
• Environment variables
• Hard constraints
• Fixed roles/job functions
• Multiple interacting processes no control
• Serious consequences for failure

From Smith Shah (2001)
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Spill-Proof Cup from Jansson Smith (1991)

• Create, sketch, and label the parts of a new
  inexpensive spill-proof coffee cup. Do not use
  drinking straws or mouthpieces.

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Results
Seeing the example design greatly increased the
number of designs that

Have a straw or mouthpiece.
Leak.
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Implicit knowledge can cause invisible impasses.
Conclusion
1. Step 1 is very important It can lead to
success, or it can lead to a dead-end.
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Conclusion
2. You must recognize the box if you are going
to think outside of it.
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9-Dot Problem Connect all 9 dots in 4 lines
without lifting pencil
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Incubation Effects Forgetting your blocks.
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Incubation Effect
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Smith Blankenship (1989)
Incubation Effect
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Auguste Kekule Benzene
James Crocker Hubble Repair
Kary Mullis PCR
Historic Insights Realized Away from the
Workplace
Archimedes Displacement Principle
Henri Pioncare Fuschian Functions
Beethoven Canon for piano
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Conclusion
3. Get away from your cage, but keep your
problems close by.
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Conclusion
4. A shift in perspective may be what you need.
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Summary Conclusions
1. Step 1 is very important It can lead to
success, or it can lead to a dead-end.
2. You must recognize the box if you are going
to think outside of it.
3. A shift in perspective may be what you need.
4. Get away from your cage, but keep your
problems close by.
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Thanks for attending my talk!
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Some Principles of Creativity
1. Novelty Practicality Creativity
combines childlike play imagination with mature
adult knowledge skill. 2. Defocused
Attention You can do something creative only when
you are not trying. 3. A Darwinian
Theory Quantity breeds quality. 4. Combination
Remote Association Emergent properties can come
from unusual combinations of ideas.
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Creative Thinking

• Combination
• Synthesis, Emergence
• Ideation
• Divergent Thinking, Remote Association
• Imagination
• Visualization, Restructuring, Insight
• Incremental Work
• Learning, Memory, Computation
• Ineffable Processes
• Intuition, Incubation
• Logic
• Analogy, Inference, Induction

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Definition Creativity
Required Characteristics Novelty Practicality Fami
ly Resemblance Shared Characteristics
Ambiguity
Originality
Emergence
Meaningfulness
Insightfulness
Incongruity
Flexibility
Divergence
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Levels of Creativity