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Knowledge

Knowledge and creativity

Analogical transferSynthesis

AssociationRetrieval of memory

Combination of existing memoryCombination of knowledge

Weisberg, R. W. (1993). Creativity: Beyond the myth of genius. New York, Freeman

Finke, R. (1990). Creative imagery: Discoveries and inventions in visualisation. Hillsdale, NJ, Erlbaum

Becker, M. (1995). Nineteenth-century foundations of creativity research, Creativity Research Journal, vol. 8, no. 3, 219-229

Activate already existing knowledge

Knowledge may provide the building blocks out of which new ideas are constructed

It is the retrieval of existing structures from memory

that makes it possible to create new ideas

Weisberg R. W. (2007). Creativity and Knowledge: A Challenge to Theories. In Sternberg, J., Handbook of Creativity, Cambridge University Press

Smith, S. M. (1995). Fixation, incubation, and insight in memory and creative thinking. In S. M. Smith, T. B. Ward, & R. A. Finke (Eds.), The creative cognition approach (pp. 135–156). Cambrigde, MA: MIT Press.

Activate already existing knowledge

Knowledge may provide the building blocks out of which new ideas are constructed

It is the retrieval of existing structures from memory

that makes it possible to create new ideas

Weisberg R. W. (2007). Creativity and Knowledge: A Challenge to Theories. In Sternberg, J., Handbook of Creativity, Cambridge University Press

Smith, S. M. (1995). Fixation, incubation, and insight in memory and creative thinking. In S. M. Smith, T. B. Ward, & R. A. Finke (Eds.), The creative cognition approach (pp. 135–156). Cambrigde, MA: MIT Press.

Expertise blocks creativity

Too much experience within a field may restrict creativity

Past experience is bad when new rules are introduced

De Bono, E. (1968). The Mechanism of Mind, Pelican, 1968.

Frensch, P. A., & Sternberg, R. J. (1989). Expertise and intelligent thinking: When is it worse to know better? In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Advances in the psychology of human intelligence (Vol. 5, pp. 157–188). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum

Avoid examples

Recently activated knowledge(e.g.. from examples or recent learnings)

becomes an involuntary mental block

Smith, S. M., & Tindell, D. R., (1997). Memory blocks in work fragment completion caused by involuntary retrieval of orthographically similar primes. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 23, 355–370

Avoid examples

Even if the students were explicitly told to do as differently as possible from

examples, they developed ideas

very similar to the examples given

Marsh, R. L., Landau, J. D., & Hicks, J. L. (1996). How examples may (and may not) constrain creativity. Journal of Memory & Cognition, 24, 669–680

Postpone analysis of ideas

until it is fully developed

The creative product is not comprehensible or analyzable in terms of

what was known before

Hausman, C. (1984). Discourse on novelty and creation. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Your brain as a mental library

Byrge, C. & Hansen, S. (2009A). The creative platform: A didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups, European Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 235 — 250

Content of your mental library

Byrge, C. & Hansen, S. (2009A). The creative platform: A didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups, European Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 235 — 250

teethcare

disciplin

soccer

garden

boatcon-struction

STIMULI: Access to knowledge

Byrge, C. & Hansen, S. (2009A). The creative platform: A didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups, European Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 235 — 250

harbor

weather

worms

food

fisherhat

Tools forknowledge application

Please sit down

Idea generation tools

Lateral thinking (Word-stimuli, Picture-stimuli,Provocation-stimuli)

TRIZ (Principle-stimuli)

Synectics (Person-analogy-stimuli)

Gordon, W. J. (1961). Synextics, New York, Harper

Altshuller, G., Shulyak, L., Rodman, S. & Fedoseev, U. (1997). 40 principles: TRIZ keys to innovation. Technical Innovation Center

de Bono, E. (1992). Using the power of lateral thinking to create new ideas, New York, HarperCollins

The solution to your problemhas already been

found somewhere else

Creativity is about searching your mental library

Altshuller, G. (1986). To find an idea: Introduction to the theory of inventive problem solving. Novosibirsk, Russia: Nauka

Where is the idea

Byrge, C. & Hansen, S. (2009A). The creative platform: A didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups, European Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 235 — 250

Definition of vertical thinking: Application of knowledge directly related to

problem

Definition of horizontal thinking: Application of knowledge NOT related to

problem

Altshuller, G. (1986). To find an idea: Introduction to the theory of inventive problem solving. Novosibirsk, Russia: Nauka

Vertical vs. Horizontal thinking

Byrge, C. & Hansen, S. (2009A). The creative platform: A didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups, European Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 235 — 250

Byrge, C. & Hansen, S. (2009A). The creative platform: A didactic approach for unlimited application of knowledge in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups, European Journal of Engineering Education, 34, 235 — 250

teethcare

disciplin

soccer

garden

boatcon-struction

Vertical thinking

Horizontal thinking

BAD example of Horizontal thinking

BAD example of Horizontal thinking

GOOD example of Horizontal thinking

Summing up:Four tools for

radical new thinkingTask focus

Parallel thinking

No-experienced judgement

Horizontal thinking