Cognition and creativity

Cognitive research on creativity is both traditional and innovative. It is traditional in the sense that many of the well-recognized processes, structures, and stores from mainstream cognitive psychology have been used to understand creative thinking. It is innovative because there is a need to understand processes which are not recognized unless one is specifically interested in creativity. Some of these are inherently subjective, a fact which is often disregarded by those hoping for a traditionally scientific analysis. Still, much of the interest in the cognitive sciences concerns how new constructs come into being; and anyone interested in that is in fact thinking about creativity. That is creativity. This article reviews several traditional cognitive topics, including knowledge, memory, classification, judgment, and categorization, and describes how each can influence creative thinking. It also presents an original model of creative thinking with problem finding, ideation, and judgmental processes as primary components, and knowledge and motivation as secondary (contributing but not controlling) components. Several issues are covered, including the relegation of motivation, the distinction between declarative and procedural knowledge, and the potential for knowledge to both facilitate and inhibit creative ideation.     

Testing versus creativity

Recent claims that government educational initiatives restrict creativity have prompted denials. It is argued here that government spokespersons are right to insist that teaching and testing are prerequisites of creativity. However, the products of creativity must be originated by the creator. To the extent that these initiatives control choice of content, opportunities for creativity must be lost.     

理论创新散论

理论创新是理论发展的基本形式,也是实践深化必然提出的要求。一部马克思主义发展史就是一部理论创新史,而着眼于机制建设,充分发挥主体作用,又是面向新的实践,实现理论创新的关键所在。     

Teaching creativity with computers

Some criticize computer use because computers — by their nature mechanistic and algorithmic — support only uncreative thinking and production. However, adults increasingly view computers as valuable tools of creative production. Educational research indicates that there is no single “effect” of the computer on creativity; technology can support either uncreative drill or creative production. Research also provides strong evidence that certain computer environments, such as Logo, word processing, and design tools, hold the potential for the computer's facilitation of creativity. There is equally strong evidence that the curriculum in which computer programs are embedded and the teacher who chooses, uses, and infuses these programs, are essential elements in realizing the full potential of technology.     

Classroom contexts for creativity

Various factors influence the development of creative potential, including everything from individual differences to the kinds of experiences and opportunities that creators experience throughout the lifespan. When it comes to nurturing creativity in the classroom, the learning environment is one of the most important factors – determining, in large part, whether creative potential will be supported (or suppressed). In short, classroom context matters. It is one thing to recognize that the classroom environment impacts the development of creative potential, it is quite another to understand just what it takes to develop an optimally supportive creative learning environment. This is because many of the features of optimal learning environments are quite subtle and even counterintuitive. In this paper, we discuss insights from the research on how teachers might establish a creativity-supportive learning environment in their classroom.     

Fostering creativity in students

A short, two step synthesis project for students in organic chemistry provides practical experience in scale up, purification, isolation, and modification of synthetic procedures.     

Variability of creativity judgments

The Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT), developed by Amabile [Amabile, T.M. (1982). Social psychology of creativity: A consensual assessment technique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 997–1013], is frequently used to evaluate the creativity of productions. Judgments obtained with CAT are usually reliable and valid. However, notable individual differences in judgment exist. This empirical study shows that creativity judgments for advertisements vary, depending on (1) the level of two underlying components of creativity — originality and appropriateness, (2) the creative ability of the judges, i.e. variations in their ability to be original, and finally, (3) instructions or training that they received about the topic of creativity assessment. Effects of advertisements' appropriateness and judges' ability to be original on individual differences in creativity judgments are discussed.     

从斯滕伯格的创造力投资理论谈幼儿创造力培养

本在介绍美国心理学家斯滕伯格１９９１年提出的创造力投资理论的基础上,结合我国幼儿教育的实际,提出了应从以下６个方面来培养幼儿的创造力;（１）不要局限于发散思维的培养;（２）培养幼儿的智力;（３）培养幼儿灵活运用知识的能力;（４）尊重幼儿的智力方式;（５）培养幼儿创造的人格和内有动机;（６）提供有利于幼儿创造力发展的环境。     

创造性问题与创造性提问

创造性提问是创造性教学的开端。问题是否具有创造性，这并不是由问题本身决定的，而是由问题与学生的关系决定的。本从这一基本理念出发，对创造性问题进行了系统分类，并提出了相应的进行创造性提问的对策。     

解决问题与创新意识的培养

培养学生解决问题 ,尤其是创造性地解决问题的能力是当前中小学数学教育的一个重要目标 ,但目前在解决问题的教学上还远远未取得它应该取得的效果。为此 ,本文试图从方法论的角度对解决问题的教学加以探讨 ,以寻求建立一个促进学生主动参与、探索式地解决问题的教学环境。     

问题思维与创新能力培养

本文从问题思维的角度即让学生形成强烈的问题意识、追踪问题的解决过程、探寻解决问题的不同方法三个方面 ,对化学教学中如何培养学生的创新能力作了具体的探讨     

美育与创造能力的培养

美育在创造能力的培养中具有特别重要的作用,审美在科学创造和发明中具有突出的启迪功能。美育有助于创造能力发展的生理机制在于通过开发右脑使大脑两半球得到协调发展,使它们各自的功能得到互补和充分发挥;其心理机制在于美感作为自由感受具有自由直观的因素,这种因素培育着直觉思维能力,而这种能力正是开启创造能力的钥匙。     

Inventory for appraising adult creativity

An adult creativity survey, the Preference Inventory (PI), was based upon the assumptions that creatively productive persons, more than the average, mentally examine and play with ideas. Such people also are very curious, strong in needs to create, and are highly original. Scores on the PI were significantly correlated with scores on the Sounds and Images test, ratings of art and writing samples, and an objectively scored Statement of Past Creative Activities (SPCA). The SPCA was considered the most reasonable validating criterion. A regression analysis showed that different patterns of PI subscales were the best predictors of different criterion measures.     

创新呼唤独立人格

"创新是一个民族进步的灵魂,是国家兴旺发达的不竭动力”.创新对今日中国显得格外重要而迫切,但创新之路充满重重阻力.为走创新强国之路,国人须培养独立人格.     

大学生创造性学习能力培养的改革思路

本文结合近年来高校一些实际情况 ,从五方面探讨了如何加强对医学生创造性学习能力培养的改革思路及实践     

毛泽东理论创新的启示

毛泽东最伟大的历史功绩是对马克思主义进行理论创新.他的理论创新充分说明:解放思想,实事求是,与时俱进,是理论创新的基本特征.