Applying Multiple Knowledge Structures in Creative Thought: Effects on Idea Generation and Problem-Solving (original) (raw)
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The Role of Knowledge in Creative Thinking
Creativity Research Journal, 2024
In this invited paper, I briefly review my past, current, and future lines of research. The associative theory of creativity argues that higher creative individuals have a richer semantic memory structure that facilitates broader associative search processes, that leads to the combination of remote concepts into novel and appropriate ideas. Based on this theory, in my research I investigate the role of knowledge-or semantic memory-in high-level cognition, focusing on creativity, associative thinking, and memory search, in typical and clinical populations. To do so, I apply computational tools from network science, natural language processing, and machine learning, coupled with empirical cognitive and neural research. Such computational tools are enabling the representation and operationalization of the structure of semantic memory and the processes that operate over it. This is critical as it allows us to start quantifying issues that for a very long time were studied very subjectively in creativity research-remoteness of ideas, associative thinking, flexible/ richer semantic memory structure, etc. Such work is offering unique, quantitative, ways to directly study classic theories of creativity, propelling forward our understanding of its complexity.
In Proceedings of the Workshop “Computational Creativity, Concept Invention, and General Intelligence”, editors Besold, T.; Kühnberger, K.-U.; Schorlemmer, M. and Smaill, A., Publications of the Institute of Cognitive Science, 01-2014, Osnabrück., 2014
The creative problem-solving performed by natural cognitive systems includes a wide variety of tasks of different degrees of difficulty. A classification of creative problems in two broad categories is proposed, based on problem structuredness and the cognitive processes used in regulating the problem structure-representation structure relationship in creative problem-solving. A cognitive theoretical framework is used to exemplify the difference in cognitive processes participation in these two classes of creative problem solving.
CognitLve research on creativity is both traditional and innovative. It is traditwnal in the sense that many of the well-recognized processes, structures, and stores from mainstream cognitive psyclwlogy ha1•e been used to understand creatil•e thinking. It is innovative because there is a need to understand processes which are not recognized unless one is specifically interested in creativity. Some of these are inherently subjective, a fact which is often disregarded by those hoping for a traditionally scientific analysis. Still, much of the interest in the cognitive sciences concerns how new constructs come into being; and anyone interested in that is in fact thinking about creativity.
A cognitive network model of creativity: a renewed focus on brainstorming methodology
Proceedings of the 20th …, 1999
Creativity is a vital component of problem solving, yet despite decades of creativity research, many of the techniques for increasing creative production still lack compelling theoretical and causal foundations. This paper defines a Cognitive Network Model, a causal model of creative solution generation for problem solving domains. This model is grounded in mechanisms of human cognition that are hypothesized to exist within all individuals, regardless of their intelligence level, socio-economic status, or other variable, personal ...
Creative thought: an investigation of conceptual structures and processes
Choice Reviews Online, 1997
Abstract 1. examine the historical case of one of the world's great analogical thinkers, Johannes Kepler/the authors relate his activities to the principles underlying a precise characterization of the analogical reasoning process, namely, the structure mapping engine/consider in depth the processes of highlighting, projection, re-representation, and restructuring as processes of conceptual change/show how anecdotal accounts and precise theorizing about the exact nature of cognitive processes can complement one another/ ...
Thinking & Reasoning, 2017
The associative theory of creativity states that creativity is associated with differences in the structure of semantic memory, whereas the executive theory of creativity emphasises the role of top-down control for creative thought. For a powerful test of these accounts, individual semantic memory structure was modelled with a novel method based on semantic relatedness judgements and different criteria for network filtering were compared. The executive account was supported by a correlation between creative ability and broad retrieval ability. The associative account was independently supported, when network filtering was based on a relatedness threshold, but not when it was based on a fixed edge number or on the analysis of weighted networks. In the former case, creative ability was associated with shorter average path lengths and higher clustering of the network, suggesting that the semantic networks of creative people show higher small-worldness.