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Creative Scientists, Artists,

and Psychologists:

Modeling Disposition, Development,

and Achievement

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Three Arguments

First, creativity is a

heterogeneous rather than homogeneous

phenomenon (i.e., some domain-specificity);

but a substantial proportion of this heterogeneitycan be captured by a single latent factor that

extends from the sciences to the arts;

that is, along this implicit dimension we can place

the principal domains of creative activity, includingpsychology

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Three Arguments

Second, this single dimension is correlated

with psychological traits and experiences of

creators who practice in a given domain; that

is, these variables are dispositional (e.g., personality), and

developmental (e.g., education)

i.e., the dimension is psychological as well aslogical, ontological, or epistemological

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Three Arguments

Third, an individuals magnitude of creativity

in a chosen domain corresponds at least in

part with the fit between his/her

dispositional traits and

developmental experiences

and those that are typical of that domain or

some other domain along the samedimension

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First Argument:

Hierarchy of the Sciences

Classic concept: Auguste Comte

astronomy

physics

chemistry

biology

sociology

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First Argument:

Hierarchy of the Sciences

Contemporary concepts:

physical, biological, and social sciences

exact versus non-exact sciences

hard versus soft sciences

paradigmatic versus pre-paradigmatic sciences

natural versus human sciences

sciences, humanities, and the arts

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First Argument:

Hierarchy of the Sciences

Empirical research (Simonton, 2004):

Major scientific disciplines can be ordered along a

single dimension using a large number of positive

and negative indicators of hardness

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Simonton (2004)

Positive indicators

Peer evaluation consensus (Cole, 1983)

Citation concentration (Cole, 1983)

Early impact rate (Cole, 1983)

Citation immediacy (Cole, 1983)

Anticipation frequency (Hagstrom, 1974)

Obsolescence rate (McDowell, 1982) Graph prominence (Cleveland, 1984)

Rated disciplinary hardness (Smith et al., 2000)

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Simonton (2004)

Negative indicators:

Consultation rate (Suls & Fletcher, 1983)

Theories-to-laws ratio (Roeckelein, 1997)

Age at receipt of Nobel prize (Stephan & Leven,

1993; see also Manniche & Falk, 1957)

Lecture disfluency (Schachter, Christenfeld,Ravina, & Bilous, 1991)

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Simonton (2004)

Yielding

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Former hierarchical arrangement

consistent with scientists own

perceptions of their domains,

e.g.

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Prpi (2008) Natural scientistsN =310

Social scientists

N= 167

Objectivity as the

property of theresearch process

69.0% 54.8%

Objectivity as the

researchers

impartiality and

nonsubjectivity

33.6% 54.7%

Objectivity as

attainable and

attained

76.2% 52.5%

Objectivity as its

complete realization

doubtful

20.4% 30.3%

Objectivity as

impossible or

nonexistent

3.4% 17.2%

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Two Elaborations

Extrapolation beyond Scientific Domains

Interpolation within Creative Domains

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Two Elaborations

One - This hierarchy can be extrapolated

beyond scientific domains:

Scientific versus artistic creativity, where

creativity in the humanities falls somewherebetween that in the sciences and the arts

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Two Elaborations

Illustrations using criteria previously applied

in constructing scientific hierarchy:

Obsolescence rate:

psychology/sociology > history > English

Lecture disfluency:

psychology/sociology < political science < art history eminent writers (Raskin,

1936)

Mentors Eminent scientists < eminent artists (Simonton,

1984, 1992b);

with eminent psychologists between but closer to

scientists in general (Simonton, 1992a)

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DevelopmentScience to Science

Rebelliousness toward parents: chemists

RS & NAS >

Sigma Xi & US public

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Dispositional Predictors

Compare with introspective reports:

Albert Einstein: to these elementary laws there

leads no logical path, but only intuition, supported

by being sympathetically in touch withexperience.

Max Planck: creative scientists must have a vivid

intuitive imagination, for new ideas are not

generated by deduction, but by an artisticallycreative imagination.

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Developmental Predictors

Domain-typical creator unlikely givenSimontons (1986) N= 314 study ofbiographical typicality and eminence

What about the other two options? Some indirect support for domain-regressive

creator given that revolutionary scientists havehigher impact than normal scientists (Ko & Kim,2008; Sulloway, 2009)

But also some inconsistent results andcomplications (see Sulloway, 2009)

Hence, more research needed

l

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Conclusion

Domains of creativity fall along a dimension

that has a psychological basis defined bydispositional traits and developmental

experiences

Creative achievement within a domain partlydepends on the same dispositional and

developmental variables (viz. domain-

regressive creators)

Thus the need to invert and redefine the

hierarchy

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FIELDS ARRANGED BY CREATIVITY

MORE CREATIVE

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FIELDS ARRANGED BY CREATIVITY

MORE CREATIVE

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