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September 29, 2007 by Cynthia Sifonis.
When I was a teaching assistant for my advisor (Dr. Thomas B. Ward), I had the pleasure of experiencing his Cognitive Psychology class lectures. One of my favorite lectures (not surprisingly) was his lecture on Creativity. In this lecture, he discussed three different approaches to the study of creativity: The “Classical” view, the “Romantic” view and the “Cognitive” view.
The “Classical” view assumes that creativity is a product of the divine or the unknowable. It results from inspiration; a flash of “brilliance” provided by God, or a Muse. Those taking this approach to creativity believe that the creator is merely a vessel or conduit for creativity. Consequently, they have little control over the timing or contents of the creative act.
The “Romantic” view assumes that creativity results from special cognitive processes or personality traits possessed by creative individuals. These traits include motivation, persistence in the face of obstacles, and the ability to engage in divergent thinking and/or form remote associations. Though all people possess these processes and traits to a certain degree, creative individuals possess them to a greater extent than “normal” individuals.
The “Cognitive” view of creativity assumes that creativity results from normal cognitive processes (e.g., memory retrieval, conceptual combination, analogy) operating on normal knowledge structures (e.g., concepts, schemas). In fact, the Cognitive view argues that creativity is essential for our ability to function effectively in our environment. Read the rest of this entry »
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