Handbook of Creativity


Book Description

The goal of the Handbook of Creativity is to provide the most comprehensive, definitive, and authoritative single-volume review available in the field of creativity. To this end, the book contains 22 chapters covering a wide range of issues and topics in the field of creativity, all written by distinguished leaders in the field. The chapters have been written to be accessible to all educated readers with an interest in creative thinking. Although the authors are leading behavioral scientists, people in all disciplines will find the coverage of creativity divided in the arts and sciences to be of interest. The volume is divided into six parts. Part I, the Introduction, sets out the major themes and reviews the history of thinking about creativity. Subsequent parts deal with methods, origins, self and environment, special topics and conclusions.




Creativity 101


Book Description

What is creativity? How does it work? How does it flourish in individuals and organizations? Now in its second edition, this bestselling introductory text--written by one of the world's leading experts on the psychology of creativity--is completely updated and expanded to reflect the tremendous growth in this field. In a redesigned, reader-friendly format, the text surveys the latest theories and research to provide key information about what we know (and don't know) about creativity including its many definitions and measures. It addresses how creativity operates on individual and social/environmental levels, and the effects and outcomes of the creative mind. This much-praised book is an ideal brief text for courses on creativity in psychology, education, business, and other fields, as well as cross-disciplinary seminars and programs in creativity studies. New to the Second Edition: Completely updated and expanded with new theories and research Restructured to enhance flow of information and ease of use New chapters on measuring creativity, creativity and mental health, creative environments, how creativity is perceived by self and society, and its positive and negative aspects Coverage of new models and frameworks Expanded coverage of creativity and motivation, mental illness, and mood; history of creativity research; the creative process; and neuroscientific theories and approaches Thorough reconceptualization of creativity and personality New content on differences between creativity, imagination, and innovation Expanded coverage of creativity assessment Key Features: Surveys theory, research, and applications of creativity concisely and accessibly Written in an engaging style by a world-renowned creativity expert Ideal for courses on creativity in psychology, education, business, and other fields, as well as cross-disciplinary seminars




Domain Specificity of Creativity


Book Description

Recent research findings have challenged the idea that creativity is domain-general. Domain Specificity of Creativity brings together the research information on domain specificity in creativity -- both the research that supports it and answers to research arguments that might seem to challenge it. The implications for domain specificity affect how we move forward with theories of creativity, testing for creativity, and teaching for creativity. The book outlines what these changes are and how creativity research and applications of that research will change in light of these new findings. - Summarizes research regarding domain specificity in creativity - Outlines implications of these findings for creativity theory, testing, and teaching - Identifies unanswered questions and new research opportunities




Creative Cognition


Book Description

Creative Cognition combines original experiments with existing work in cognitive psychology to provide the first explicit account of the cognitive processes and structures that contribute to creative thinking and discovery. Creative Cognition combines original experiments with existing work in cognitive psychology to provide the first explicit account of the cognitive processes and structures that contribute to creative thinking and discovery. In separate chapters, the authors take up visualization, concept formation, categorization, memory retrieval, and problem solving. They describe novel experimental methods for studying creative cognitive processes under controlled laboratory conditions, along with techniques that can be used to generate many different types of inventions and concepts. Unlike traditional approaches, Creative Cognition considers creativity as a product of numerous cognitive processes, each of which helps to set the stage for insight and discovery. It identifies many of these processes as well as general principles of creative cognition that can be applied across a variety of different domains, with examples in artificial intelligence, engineering design, product development, architecture, education, and the visual arts. Following a summary of previous approaches to creativity, the authors present a theoretical model of the creative process. They review research involving an innovative imagery recombination technique, developed by Finke, that clearly demonstrates that creative inventions can be induced in the laboratory. They then describe experiments in category learning that support the provocative claim that the factors constraining category formation similarly constrain imagination and illustrate the role of various memory processes and other strategies in creative problem solving.




The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Personality Research


Book Description

As individual subjects, creativity and personality have been the focus of much research and many publications. This Cambridge Handbook is the first to bring together these two topics and explores how personality and behavior affects creativity. Contributors from around the globe present cutting-edge research about how personality traits and motives make creative behavior more likely. Many aspects of personality and behavior are examined in the chapters, including genius, emotions, psychopathology, entrepreneurship, and multiculturalism, to analyse the impact of these on creativity. The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Personality Research will be the definitive resource for researchers, students and academics who study psychology, personality, and creativity.




Creativity


Book Description

“Although the benefits of this study to scholars are obvious, this thought-provoking mixture of scholarly and colloquial will enlighten inquisitive general readers, too.” — Library Journal (starred review) The classic study of the creative process from the bestselling author of Flow. Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (“The leading researcher into ‘flow states.’” — Newsweek) reveals what leads to these moments—be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab—so that this knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on nearly one hundred interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists, to politicians and business leaders, to poets and artists, as well as his thirty years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous flow theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the "tortured genius" is largely a myth. Most important, he explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.




Creativity in Research


Book Description

Provides concrete guidance, grounded in scientific literature, for researchers to build creative confidence in their work.




How to Have Great Ideas


Book Description

How to Have Great Ideas is the essential guide for students and young professionals looking to embrace creative thinking in design, advertising and communications. It provides 53 practical strategies for unlocking innovative ideas. Strategies include improvisation techniques, changing the scenery, finding hidden links, looking to nature for inspiration, combining unusual systems, challenging set boundaries and many more. Each strategy is packed with great examples of successful contemporary and historical designs – from a designer dress made out of an old typewriter to ticket machines powered by recycled bottles in China, via the reimagining of famous brand logos and mis-use of photocopiers. Packed with practical projects to kick-start inventive thought in idea-blocked moments, this book explores creative thinking across all visual arts disciplines.




The Myths of Creativity


Book Description

How to get past the most common myths about creativity to design truly innovative strategies We tend to think of creativity in terms reminiscent of the ancient muses: divinely-inspired, unpredictable, and bestowed upon a lucky few. But when our jobs challenge us to be creative on demand, we must develop novel, useful ideas that will keep our organizations competitive. The Myths of Creativity demystifies the processes that drive innovation. Based on the latest research into how creative individuals and firms succeed, David Burkus highlights the mistaken ideas that hold us back and shows us how anyone can embrace a practical approach, grounded in reality, to finding the best new ideas, projects, processes, and programs. Answers questions such as: What causes us to be creative in one moment and void in the next? What makes someone more or less creative than his or her peers? Where do our flashes of creative insight come from, and how can we generate more of them? Debunks 10 common myths, including: the Eureka Myth; the Lone Creator Myth; the Incentive Myth; and The Brainstorming Myth Written by David Burkus, founder of popular leadership blog LDRLB For anyone who struggles with creativity, or who makes excuses for delaying the work of innovation, The Myths of Creativity will help you overcome your obstacles to finding new ideas.




Dimensions of Creativity


Book Description

Dimensions of Creativity brings together original articles that draw on a range of discipline--from the history and sociology of science, psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence--to ask how creative ideas arise, and whether creativity can be objectively defined and measured. Dimensions of Creativity brings together original articles that draw on a range of disciplines--from the history and sociology of science, psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence--to ask how creative ideas arise, and whether creativity can be objectively defined and measured. Margaret Boden and her colleagues Simon Schaffer, Gerd Gigerenzer, David N. Perkins, Howard Gardner, Colin Martindale, and Hans J. Eysenck demonstrate that creativity requires not only challenging new ideas but their acceptance by some relevant social group. Although some new ideas can arise as novel associations, others are generated by exploiting structural features of an existing conceptual space. Strong motivations often drive the creators and those who evaluate and perpetuate their work. The seven essays--although very different--are complementary. The book can serve as an up-to-date introduction to the study of creativity in various disciplines. The many references provide a way into the relevant literature. A Bradford Book