摘要:

ABSTRACTResults from two investigations examine the relationship between problem solving strategies (leaping and flexibility) and measures of insight and scholastic aptitude. In Study 1, university students were asked to use minimal information to solve perceptual and linguistic items on a clue‐efficiency task. Results reveal a significant relationship between both leaping and insight scores and flexible‐leaping and scores on the quantitative subtest of the SAT. A second study examined the developmental trajectory of flexibility, leaping, and clue‐efficiency. Developmental declines, notably between fifth and sixth grades, are reported in the use of flexibility and leaping. These developmental declines do not result from shifts to more sophisticated (e.g., efficient) strategies, as no developmental differences in efficiency were obs

ISSN:0022-0175    

DOI:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1996.tb00765.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThe present study evaluated whether creativity training and interpersonal problem‐solving training reflect equivalent or complementary skills in adults. A sample of 74 undergraduates received interpersonal problem‐solving training, creativity training, neither, or both. Dependent variables included measures of problem‐solving and creative performance, and problem‐solving and creative style. The results suggested that creativity and interpersonal problem‐solving represent complementary skills, in that each training program specifically affected performance only on related measures of performance. A combination of programs affected both abilities.Creativity training and interpersonal problem‐solving training are popular psychoeducational interventions that developed in isolation from each other. Originally thought of as a mysterious process, the empirical analysis of the creative act can be traced to the work of Wallas (1926). Under the assumption that creativity is a desirable trait, a number of scales and training programs have been developed to measure and enhance creative skills. Creativity training has been used primarily in educational and industrial settings (e.g., Basadur, 1981).The principles of interpersonal problem‐solving training have emerged more recently, in the work of Spivack and Shure (1974; Spivack, Platt,&Shure, 1976) and D'Zurilla (D'Zurilla&Goldfried, 1971; D'Zurilla&Nezu, 1982). These authors conceptualized interpersonal problem‐solving training in the context of behavior therapy, and for this reason the literature on interpersonal problem‐solving is more closely associated with therapeutic settings.Creativity and interpersonal problem‐solving skills can be conceptually distinguished on the basis of their goals. Interpersonal problem‐solving refers to one's skill in determining the means by which to achieve a specific end or overcome a specific problem. Creativity, on the other hand, need not be oriented towards achieving specific ends; it is associated with the capacity for thinking in new and different ways. Koestler (1964) has even argued that these two goals can be inimical, at least in adults, in that the ability to combine information in unique ways may be. hindered when the individual focuses his or her thinking on a specific problem.At the same time, there are clear similarities between the two domains of skills. Guilford (1977) noted that “creative thinking produces novel outcomes, and problem‐solving involves producing a new response to a new situation, which is a novel outcome” (p. 161). Edwards and Sproull (1984) saw creativity training as a method for improving the quality of solutions to problems and increasing personal effectiveness. They considered problem‐solving synonymous with creativity, since both training programs offer a variety of techniques to help identify useful solutions to problems.Similarly, Noller (1979) and others (e.g., Isaksen, Dorval,&Treffinger, 1994) have discussed the concept of creative problem solving, which attempts to integrate principles in the literature on creativity and on problem solving. Isaksen et al. conceptualized the process of creative problem solving as consisting of six steps which fall within three stages. The first stage involves understanding the problem, consisting of three steps: mess‐finding, data‐finding, and problem‐finding. This is followed by the stage of generating ideas, involving the idea‐ finding step. Finally, there is planning for action, which involves solution‐finding and acceptance‐finding.The most important difference between the various creativity training models and the interpersonal problem‐solving model lies in their emphasis. Creativity training models focus primarily on enhancing skill at generating solutions. The interpersonal problem‐solving model places equal emphasis on the implementation and evaluation of potential solutions.Although many authors have suggested that participation in creativity training will have positive effects on social and interpersonal functioning (e.g., Parnes, 1987), only two studies have been conducted examining the relationship between the interpersonal problem‐solving training model and creativity skills. Miller, Serafica, and Clark (1989) and Shondrick, Serafica, Clark, and Miller (1992) found that interpersonal problem‐solving training for children also enhanced creativity skills, and that children's creative abilities appear to be predictive of their interpersonal problem‐solving skills.The question of whether creativity and interpersonal problem‐solving are equivalent, complementary, or even inimical has not been adequately addressed in the existing literature. For one thing, there are no studies examining the relationship between the two constructs in adults. This is an important question, given Koestler's (1964) conclusion that they are potentially inconsistent among adults. Second, there are no studies at all regarding the impact of creativity training on problem‐solving skills in adults. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether creativity and interpersonal problem

ISSN:0022-0175    

DOI:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1996.tb00766.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTAlthough there is a growing body of evidence indicating that divergent‐thinking skills may be very task specific, there has been no research testing how narrowly divergent‐thinking training can be targeted. Seventy‐nine seventh‐grade students received training in poetry‐relevant divergent‐thinking skills. These subjects and a matched control group later wrote poems and stories, the creativity of which was judged by experts. There was a significantly greater impact on poetry‐writing creativity. Implications for creativity theory and training programs are discussed.Numerous research reports (Baer, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994a, 1994b, in press‐a; Runco, 1987, 1989) have shown that the skills underlying creative performance may be quite task specific, and this suggests possible limitations on the potential benefits of divergent‐thinking training. One response to this task‐specific understanding of divergent thinking has been to design divergent‐thinking training programs that include practice in a wide range of task‐specific divergent‐thinking skills. This approach has been shown to have a general effect of enhancing creativity in diverse domains (Baer, 1988, 1992, 1993). An alternate approach would be to target training to specific kinds of creativity; however, there has been no research investigating just how narrowly such divergent‐thinking training can be targeted.The present investigation was designed to test what effect divergent‐thinking training focusing on a single task would have on creative performance on that task and on a different, but closely related, task. The larger goals were (a) to help creativity researchers better understand the nature of divergent thinking as it impacts creative performance and (b) to be of practical value in helping educators design training programs better suited to specific training objectives.Seventh‐grade students were trained in divergent‐ thinking skills hypothesized to be related to poetry — writing creativity. Following this training, trained subjects and a matched sample of untrained subjects wrote both poems and stories in their regular English classes. Poems and stories were judged for creativity by experts who did not know the subjects. It was predicted that training in poetry‐relevant divergent thinking would result in a greater increase in creativity on a poetry‐wr

ISSN:0022-0175    

DOI:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1996.tb00767.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTThis paper outlines a framework for understanding the motivation of certain creative behaviors from the perspective of symbolic interactionism. The fundamental tenets of symbolic interactionism are described, followed by a discussion of the mechanics of symbolic interactionist‐based role‐identity theory, and how the theory can be applied to the motivation of creative behavior. The paper also addresses directions for practical application and future research in this a

ISSN:0022-0175    

DOI:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1996.tb00768.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

ABSTRACTIn this paper, Lao Tzu's Tao is psychologically reinterpreted in terms of Taoistic cognition, Taoistic objectivity, and Taoistic creativity. All of these three domains are interrelated and are characterized by the attitude of let‐be. Taoistic cognition is mainly a kind of intuition or personal knowledge. Taoistic objectivity is interpreted by will‐free motivation which allow others to be and to obtain insight. Taoistic creativity involves incubation, syntectic thinking, and the unification through the opposites. Lao Tzu's Taoism is mainly related to artistic creativity, but its influence on mental health and scientific creativity is also discus

ISSN:0022-0175    

DOI:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1996.tb00769.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0022-0175    

DOI:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1996.tb00770.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1996

数据来源: WILEY