Creativity involves generating novel concepts and products that are valued by the creator as well as by the public. In this paper, we argue that risk-taking in songwriting increases the likelihood of any individual's product being valued as creative. By reviewing the case histories of several successful songwriters, we show that heightened…

This essay discusses how Maude Adams influenced James M. Barrie's creative process and became his inspiration. Set change theory is underscored as a cognitive explanation for Barrie's illumination. The psychoanalytic theory of transference is proposed as an underlying mechanism for facilitating the change of mental set during the incubation stage.…

This article applies a propulsion model of creative contributions to the arts and letters. It opens with a general discussion of creative contributions and reviews existing models before describing the propulsion model and suggesting eight types of contributions that follow from this model. Examples illustrate use of the model in understanding…

This article presents the concept of knowledge discovery, a process of searching for associations in large volumes of computer data, as an aid to creativity. It then discusses the various techniques in knowledge discovery. Mednick's associative theory of creative thought serves as the theoretical foundation for this research. (Contains…

This article reviews research on creativity in Singapore and finds that creativity has yet to become a significant research theme in Singapore, the study of creativity seems to be influenced by current educational interests, and that creativity has not been a major theme in the main textbooks written for teachers. (Contains references.) (CR)

Argues that the cognitive mechanisms in human creativity are, for the most part, sighted rather than blind. Reviews attempts to apply evolutionary ideas to psychology and argues that these ideas do not apply to the psychology of human creativity. An alternative sighted-variation framework is then proposed. (Author/CR)

Reviews the perspective of Donald Campbell on creative thought and argues that the role of blind variation and selective retention in Darwinian evaluation and human invention is different. Proposes that a contrast can be drawn between "smart" and "not so smart" blind variation. (CR)

Argues that while blind variation and selective retention (BVSR) may not be involved in all forms of human behavior and thought, Donald Campbell has made a compelling case that human creativity and invention involve BVSR. The complementary nature of prior and current BVSR in creative human endeavor is discussed. (Author/CR)

Comments on "Varieties of Intellectual Talent" (Julian C. Stanley), that discusses characteristics of giftedness and ways of identifying gifted students. Topics explored include the five different forms of giftedness, the roles of domain and field, the ubiquity of environmental and cultural factors, cross-cultural conceptions, and potential…

Responding to "Varieties of Intellectual Talent" (Julian C. Stanley), this article discusses key components of talent development models that schools need to adopt in educating gifted children, including appreciation and response to individual differences, emphasis on the cultivation of the intellect to nurture abilities, and appreciation for…

This study examined the impact of three conditions on how subjects (105 college students) generated ideas about imaginary extraterrestrials. Results are discussed in terms of constraints on innovation, ways of overcoming those constraints, and the general tendency for new ideas to preserve many of the central properties of existing concepts.…

This introductory article argues that creativity and innovation are key requirements for the growth and adaptation of organizations. Articles focusing on how creativity and innovation can be encouraged in the workplace are reviewed. Useful directions for future research are discussed along with the methodological issues likely to arise. (Author/CR)

This paper presents the traditional public school as a multiheaded turtle in a shell of established procedure suspended by public patronage over a boiling cauldron of threat and uncertainty, hoping to avoid swinging cleavers of changing socioeconomic conditions. Leadership by creative, proactive administrators who can utilize vision,…

This paper outlines a research program that seeks to develop strategies for facilitating creative development through paradigmatic transformation. The Mobius Ring is used as a metaphor for intuition and intellect cyclically feeding each other, and a continuum of modes of thought evolving from "Becoming" to "Being" is outlined. These strategies can…

This article argues that, if creativity is measured by outcomes, then basic forms of reasoning (deduction, induction, abduction, specialization/generalization, and elementary memory associations) can be considered mildly creative. The claim is backed by references to computer programs that have generated creative outcomes. Limitations of this…