The author discusses the phenomenon of incubation in creative problem solving, distinguishes it from "creative worrying" and "tip of the tongue" experiences, and reviews research to indicate a lack of evidence of incubation's existence in well-controlled studies. Note: For related information, see EC 120 232-238. (CL)

Findings indicated that, among college students, problem finding ability is independent of intelligence and field dependence. (Author/SBH)

The introduction from a soon-to-be published book on the concept of visioneering -- engineering a vision into reality -- is printed here. The article discusses the creative process, its historical and research background, the use of creative problem solving in approaching challenges and making decisions, and the current language of creativity.…

The author identifies and describes what he regards as 25 of the most significant outcomes or products of 25 years of creativity research. Some were selected for the influence they have had on educational practices; others were selected for their potential in making a difference in future educational practice. (JN)

Two studies related to creativity are reported and discussed. The first examined possible relationships between problem solving, divergent thinking, and field dependence-independence in second-grade students (N=83). The second study determined that the analytical skills of 71 undergraduate students (measured by the Hidden Figures Test) may be…

This review of the literature examines three aspects of creative thinking and production: (1) metacognitive processing; (2) the knowledge base; and (3) personality variables. It is concluded that all three are essential elements, they operate interactively, and the results of creative thinking and problem solving are best assessed through…

Reported are studies designed to identify art and art-related experiences that enhance or reinforce cognitive development among kindergarten and first-grade children. These studies focus on conceptual thinking through transfer of image, creating thinking through clayforming, oral language through painting experiences, and letter recognition and…

Exploratory studies of the role of hemisphericity in creative functioning were made of graduate students. Results from instruments assessing hemisphericity, creative style or personality, and creative ability or level indicate that measures of creative style are positively related to the right hemisphere style of information processing. (CJ)

This article reviews the history of divergent thinking tests and provides a projection of current research suggesting a bright outlook for creativity tests. A model relating problem finding and problem solving is described, as are approaches to increasing test reliability. (DB)

In this study, 143 creativity researchers completed a survey to rate the importance of various traits and developmental influences on creative achievement. Behaviors in the Motivational Composite were rated as most important for recognized creative achievement, followed by problem finding and questioning skills, and traits reflecting adaptive…

Forty New Zealand children (ages 3-4) were given false-belief and creativity tasks to investigate whether those with a Theory of Mind outlook are better at searching their own minds for creative answers. The numbers of appropriate and original responses in the creativity test correlated positively with performance on false-belief tasks. (Author/CR)

Eight sixth grade gifted students verbalized their thoughts as they worked on figural task drawings. Analysis of resulting data indicated that the process variables of Story Weaving, Association Shifting, and Vantage were more frequently evidenced by subjects producing more original products, whereas Content Bound Linking was associated with…

E. Paul Torrance believed that creativity, like other skills, could be taught. His test to assess creativity is described. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi believes that the right combination of personal characteristics and encouraging environment produces creativity, and that children cannot be taught creativity. The adventure process creates an…

Reports on a study that analyzed students' chain of music decisions from problem perception to problem solution. Found that highly involved problem solvers explored and organized sound for its musical expressiveness, while uninvolved problem solvers rarely based their decisions on musical concerns. Concludes with implications for music teaching.…

A study of 74 undergraduates examined whether creativity training and interpersonal problem-solving training are equivalent or complementary. Results showed the training programs were complementary. Each training program specifically affected performance only on related measures of performance. A combination of the training programs affected both…