creativity james c. kaufman, ph.d. learning research institute california state university at san...
TRANSCRIPT
Creativity
James C. Kaufman, Ph.D.
Learning Research Institute
California State University
at San Bernardino
What is Creativity?
The ability to produce work that is both novel…
What is Creativity?
15 + 18 =
What is Creativity?
The ability to produce work that is
BOTH
novel (i.e., original, unexpected)
AND
appropriate (i.e., useful, adaptive)
Some added distinctions
Some people distinguish between a
Creative Person,
like Mozart
Some added distinctions
the Creative
Process
Some added distinctions
a Creative
Product
Some added distinctions
and a Creative Environment
How creative are you?
Here’s a simple test that will shed some light on how creative you are.
I’m going to ask you a question. You will have two minutes to write down AS MANY DIFFERENT answers as you can.
How creative are you?
Ready….?
How creative are you?
Think of all of the different things that would happen if people did not need sleep. List as many as you can in the next three minutes.
How do we measure Creativity?
First, count how many responses you wrote down for each question. Simply count each one -- it doesn’t matter whether they are good or bad.
How do we measure Creativity?
The number of items you’ve written downis called Fluency.
How do we measure Creativity?
Second, divide up your responses into categories -- so for the “no sleep” item, saying “there would be no pillows” and “there would be no pajamas” would count as the same category. Find out how many different types of responses you had.
How do we measure Creativity?
The number of categories that you have is called Flexibility.
How do we measure Creativity?
Third, let’s look for the most original responses….
How do we measure Creativity?
The degree to which your responses are unique is called originality.
How do we measure Creativity?
Finally, consider the level of detail that you went into. How much information did you give for each answer?
How do we measure Creativity?
This last one is called Elaboration.
How do we measure Creativity?
How did folks do?
Improving Creativity!
• One of the biggest ways that creativity can be enhanced in the schools can be found in one word: Motivation.
Motivation
• One current theory argues there are two types of motivation:
Intrinsic
Extrinsic
Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
People who are intrinsically motivated do something because they want to.
Motivation
Intrinsic Motivation
An activity is performed out of enjoyment of the activity.
Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
The other type of motivation is extrinsic motivation.
Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
With extrinsic motivation, you are driven by an outside thing.
Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
You could be driven by a need for money…
Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
You could be driven by a need to be praised by your teacher…
Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation
You could be driven by the need for good grades or winning an award.
Motivation
Neither intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation are inherently better.
It all depends on the situation, and what you want out of the situation.
Improving Creativity!
If you want to improve creativity, however, intrinsic motivation tends to be associated with higher creativity.
Improving Creativity!
What does this mean?
People who love what they do tend to be more creative.
This isn’t shocking.
Improving Creativity!
To focus on intrinsic motivation and improve creativity:
• Being able to choose assignments• Not being overly evaluated or graded• Focus on making the task enjoyable
Improving Creativity!
To minimize extrinsic motivation and improve creativity:
• Too many tangible rewards• Too much graded work• Many evaluations• Observed performance
Improving Creativity!
Some other personal qualities associated with creativity include….
Tolerance for ambiguity
(Sensible) risk-taking
Being open to new experiences
Defying the crowd
Creativity: Why Bother?
We’ve made a lot of progress in measuring creativity and figuring out how to improve it. But there’s still a long way to go.
Creativity: Why Bother?
Sometimes, it can seem that no one fully agrees on what creativity is and how to measure it. It’s a lot quicker to look at personality and ability.
Why bother?
Creativity: Why Bother?
Although creativity is related to personality
and intelligence, it is its own separate
concept.
Creativity: Why Bother?
You can get more information about a student by not only giving them a personality measure and/or an ability measure but ALSO a creativity measure.
Creativity: Why Bother?
And unlike ability and achievement measures, there are no differences by ethnicity or gender. Everyone has the same capacity to be creative.
Creativity: Why Bother?
People who are creative….
Achieve more and receive more awards.
Creativity: Why Bother?
People who are creative….
Are more likely to be successful in developing a business.
Creativity: Why Bother?
People who are creative….
Are more likely to be in leadership positions as they advance at work.
Creativity: Why Bother?
People who are creative….
Are more likely to persist in difficult situations.
Creativity: Why Bother?
People who are creative….
Tend to be happier.
Future Directions
One of the long-range research projects I am working on (with Dr. Mark Agars) is seeing how creativity -- along with personality, thinking styles, motivation, and other variables -- is associated with school success in different areas and domains.
For More Information
Dr. James C. KaufmanDirector, Learning Research InstituteCalifornia State UniversityDepartment of Psychology5500 University ParkwaySan Bernardino, CA 92407USA
E-mail: [email protected]://psychology.csusb.edu/faculty/jkaufman/