CREATIVITY CREATIVITY AND FACE TO AND FACE TO FACE FACE LEARNINGLEARNING

Rebecca Pera, PhDRebecca Pera, PhD

rebecca.pera@polito.itrebecca.pera@polito.it

IntroductionIntroduction

The session explores different theories and aspects of creativity and the factors that influence its expression.

Is creativity common to all people or is it a unique characteristic of a select few?We believe that all people of normal intelligence have the potential to be creative to some degree.

Is it possible to enhance creativity?

Definition of creativity Definition of creativity

Creativity is the ability to produce work that is both novel (i.e., original, unexpected) and appropriate (i.e., useful, adaptive concerning task constraints). (Sternberg, Lubart 2001).

Two essential aspects: Novelty and adaptability

Research on CreativityResearch on Creativity

• Freud;

• Behavioural studies;

• The Gestalt approach;

• Cognitive psychology.

100 years of creativity research with very different methodologies and results.

Freud Freud and the beginning of and the beginning of researchresearch

• Not a conscious process • It appears to be present in individuals who have suffered

• Correlation between genious and creativity

ProblemsDo we really have to be “psicotic” people to be creative? Is

creativity a characteristic of genious only?

Behavioural Behavioural studiesstudies

• Stimulus and answers (we react to environment)

• Prizes and punishments (if we are rewarded when we give a divergent answer we will develop creativity)

Social factors and environment have a powerful impact on creativity. Is it sufficient? Isn’t there any genetic difference at birth?

Let’s try with the “different uses” exercise thinking of a common object: a clip

Inspiration from areas far from the problem one: this can be possible when a flexible idea-association occurs. Ideas which didn’t seem to have any link between them are now used together. This leads to the association of different semantic areas.

New associationsNew associations

4 components are required in creativity tests:

• Fluency: the production of large numbers of ideas ;

• Flexibility: the production of a large variety of ideas;

Divergent Divergent intelligenceintelligence

Social factors and environment have a powerful impact on creativity. Isn’t there any genetic difference at birth?

How can we assess creativity?

• Originality: the use of ideas that are not obvious or banal, or are statistically infrequent;

• Elaboration: the development, embellishment, or filling out of ideas.

The more these aspects are present in somebody the more he/she will be able to develop creative thinking.

Divergent Divergent IntelligenceIntelligence

Let’s try some exercises: collage and “different uses” of a common object: a clip

CollageCollage

A few examples of available techniques that can be used in different sectors

This technique asks people to imagine which characteristics (age, family composition, habits, profession…) an ideal consumer (the consumer who most understands and appreciates the product) should have. This provides useful information in two ways:

a) The researcher understands if the group identifies itself in the product and in the ideal consumer;b) It is called a projective technique because the given characteristics can be indirectly projected to the product;

Ideal readerIdeal reader

A few examples of available techniques that can be used in different sectors

Creative sessionsCreative sessions – many – many techniquestechniques

CASTLES

tourism

Exclusive hotels

Historical vocations

exhibitions

visitstournamets

experience

sport

golf-horse riding

spettacoli

Art and craft

secret rooms

torture

towers

walls

hills

landscapes

gardens

defens

history

power

dark ages

armatures

battles

crucades

tournaments

Huge fire places

Rich dinners

Enormous kitchens

magician

witches

magic

legends

tragediesleterature

art

prince

plots

costums

aristocratshorses

dogs

stones

Cognitive map Cognitive map - semantic - semantic areasareas

This technique asks people to transform in other semantic areas the product under test. E.g. if … were a song, what song would it be?; if … were a city, what city would it be?...

Chinese PortraitChinese Portrait

A few examples of available techniques that can be used in different sectors

Creative CardsCreative Cards

A few examples of available techniques that can be used in different sectors

For the Gestalt, creativity is possible when we are able to see a “new” structure of the problem.

Solving problems occurs when we restructure the problem. Insight will then be experienced.

Productive thinking Productive thinking (Gestalt)(Gestalt)

Is creativity a process that can be learnt by heart through rules and

procedures?

The famous The famous imageimage

What do you see? Close your eyes and try again

Insight and Fixityand Fixity

Why can’t we always think creatively? Past experience doesn’t always help

The very well known nine dot The very well known nine dot problemproblem

We need to quit the virtual square to solve the problem

ExerciseDraw four straight lines without lifting your pencil from the paper so that each of the nine dots is crosses by a line

The very well The very well known nine dot known nine dot problemproblem

We need to quit the virtual square to solve the problem

CognitiveCognitive psychologypsychologyCreativity requires a set of distinct but interrelated components, among those there are:

1. intellectual abilities (diverging, analytical, communication)

2. personality (capacity to risk, determination to overcome obstacles, indifference to judgments, ambiguity)

3. environment (space, cooperation, competition, evaluation)

4. motivation

Is it possible to manipulate these elements? Up to which point?

MotivationMotivation

Driving force that leads somebody to action.

1. Intrinsic motivation;

2. Extrinsic motivation.

What kind of motivation drives creativity?

Amabile (1996, p. 115), distinguishes between:

• Intrinsic: interest; involvement; curiosity; satisfaction; positive challenge…

• Extrinsic: evaluation; focus on competition; external rewards ; ...

MotivationMotivation

Is extrinsic motivation detrimental to creativity? What kind of organizational influences do you

think are the most important?

Intellectual abilitiesMotivationPersonality

Environment

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sono necessari per visualizzare quest'immagine.

1. Rational level:difficulty to isolate a problem, to link it to other elemets, to identify causes from effects…

2. Emotional level:fear to make mistakes, fear of judgement, low motivation...

Blocks/barriers to Blocks/barriers to creativitycreativity

Which kind of blocks do you think affect you most?

Elements that inhibit creativity

Divergent phase

Convergent phase

Creative sessions - How to Creative sessions - How to enhance creativityenhance creativity

The phases of The phases of creativitycreativity

1. Preparation.Data collection and context analysis.

Is creativity only characterized by imagination, divergent thinking phases?

The phases of The phases of creativitycreativity

2. Incubation.Sedimentation within individual.

3. Insight.Intuition, problem solution.

Is creativity only characterized by imagination, divergent thinking phases?

The phases of The phases of creativitycreativity

4. Evaluation.The idea must be evaluated and developed in detail.

5. Communication The idea must be “sold” to somebody (an individual, a group, a market).

Which phase is the most challenging?

Enhancing creativity in Enhancing creativity in groupsgroups

CreativeCreative group sessionsgroup sessions

A group of 8-12 people gather with the aim of idea generation in relation to a specific problem. The group is coordinated by a facilitator. Many techniques are available, some are more analytical, others more creative.

Why creative ideas are often the result of a team ?