|
What is the best source of creative ideas? The wisdom of proverbs advises us that if we are to see farther than others, we must "stand on the shoulders of giants." This means that we should use the prior knowledge that has been provided by our predecessors, because in solving problems there is no need to "reinvent the wheel." On the other hand, a different proverb advises us not to get "stuck in a rut," meaning that using prior knowledge of About IAS. to solve problems can lead us to the same old tired ideas and blocked thinking that stymied progress on those problems in the past. How are we to choose between these apparently contradictory sources of wisdom? One way to address this question is through empirical studies of creative thinking and problem solving, a method called the creative cognition approach in the present chapter; I review a number of such empirical studies that examine the potentially constraining effects of prior knowledge, studies motivated by the creative cognition approach. Creative thinking can be classified in many ways; one such classification is paradigmatic versus revolutionary thinking. Paradigmatic creative thinking generates new ideas in small, incremental steps; revolutionary creative thinking opens bold new vistas and perspectives. Whereas most creative thinking is paradigmatic in nature, there are occasional flashes of insight that constitute revolutionary advances in creative thinking. While acknowledging the importance of incremental paradigmatic creativity, the present chapter focuses on the rarer form of creative cognition, that which leads to revolutionary ideas. The case is made, with supporting empirical evidence, that prior experience can sometimes block or impede cognitive operations in memory, problem About IAS Exam solving, and creative thinking and that similar cognitive process are involved in all three domains. Such constraints can have profound effects on the creative ideas generated not only in individuals but in groups of people as well. in the present context, refers to something that blocks or impedes the successful completion of various types of cognitive operations, such as those involved in remembering, solving problems, and generating creative ideas For example, fixation can obstruct memory retrieval of well-learned names or words, such as the names of famous celebrities or politicians and About IAS Exam. The same fixating forces can likewise block solutions to puzzles or math problems, such as famous water jar problems or common anagrams. The ways that fixation can cause such blocks can also limit the directions taken in creative idea generation in such tasks as divergent thinking and brainstorming. Although fixation can take many forms, there are a few general patterns in which it can occur: typical thinking, implicit assumptions, and recent experience. Typical thinking refers to taking the same approach to a problem that is usually taken for that class of problems and is essentially the same as paradigmatic thinking. Whereas typical thinking is usually effective for a class of problems, there are some problems for which typical approaches are inappropriate and can lead to dead ends in the problem-solving process implicit assumptions are those that one automatically makes in the problem-solving process, without any awareness that such assumptions have been made. When implicit assumptions are incorrect or unfounded, they impede cognitive operations, and, even more insidiously, they do so invisibly, making them difficult to ferret out and reject. Recent experience often prepares us for events by teaching us to adopt mental sets, specific operations that are repetitiously carried out to solve each problem in a series of similar problems.
Related Articles -
About IAS, About IAS Exam,
|
