Creative Insight Research Articles

Perspectivism Narrow and Wide: An Examination of Nietzsche’s Limited Perspectivism from a Daoist Lens

Western liberal intellectuals often find themselves in a precarious situation with regard to whether or not they should celebrate and endorse Friedrich Nietzsche as a philosopher who we should all unequivocally embrace into our Western philosophical canon. While his critique of the Western philosophical tradition and his own creative insights are unprecedented and immensely important, his blatant inegalitarianism and remarks against women are often too difficult to stomach. This paper attempts to introduce Western philosophers to Chuang Tzu, a Chinese thinker who shares much of Nietzsche’s style and philosophy, but also espouses a thoroughgoing egalitarianism. It does so by comparing Nietzsche and Chuang Tzu in regard to their methods, style, and philosophical beliefs, with a particular emphasis on the naturalism and perspectivism found in each thinker’s philosophy. The hope is to provide Western liberal-minded intellectuals interested in Nietzsche and in equality with another perspective to bolster their thinking.

The motivational influence of self-guides on creative pursuits.

University of Connecticut There is robust evidence for a relationship between regulatory focus and creative cognition, with prevention states undermining creative insight and promotion states facilitating it. We tested whether similar effects occur as a result of priming goal standards related to prevention focus (ought standards) versus promotion focus (ideal standards). A pilot study established that the importance placed on ought versus ideal self-standards predicted the desire to be creative, with the strongest creativity orientation observed among participants who placed a high value on achieving goals related to ideal standards and a low value on achieving goals related to ought standards. Two experiments then demonstrated that goal priming influenced the novelty of responses to a word association task, with activation of ought standards decreasing and activation of ideal evaluative standards increasing novelty. Study 2 revealed that the influence of goal priming was eliminated when participants were put under time pressure, suggesting that this manipulation exerted influence on response novelty through a controlled (as opposed to spontaneous) process.

Evolution of behavioural phenotypes: influences of ancestry and expression

Behavioural phenotypes are invariably plastic to some degree and are among the most labile of phenotypes. Some are acquired over the course of development in a particular environment (developmental plasticity), but most are elicited by an environmental trigger and are expressed only briefly, but often repeatedly, in the life of an organism (activational plasticity). Thus, individuals can possess the ability to perform a behaviour, but in the absence of the appropriate environmental stimulus, can fail to do so over the course of a lifetime. Rarely is the evolution of behavioural phenotypes explored in the larger context of the evolution of phenotypically plastic traits. Here I argue that the evolution of behavioural phenotypes, regardless of the nature of the plasticity expressed, can be examined in the same way as the evolution of other plastic traits. I first provide a conceptual review of the factors that can influence the evolution of plastic phenotypes and of the ways in which behavioural plasticity can influence the evolution of other aspects of phenotype. Many of the most compelling questions involve contrasting ancestral patterns of plasticity with those in derived populations or species, a particularly challenging problem in the case of phenotypic plasticity. I therefore provide an overview of the ways in which the influence of plasticity upon evolution can be addressed and then provide a review of examples from the literature that offer initial insights into the role of behavioural plasticity in evolution. The questions are exciting, the data limited, and, as I argue in closing, we need creative insights into the ways in which behavioural plasticity has evolved and has in turn influenced the evolution of other aspects of phenotype.

Workplace duties or opportunities? Challenge stressors, regulatory focus, and creativity

Previous research has produced contradictory findings about the impact of challenge stressors on individual and team creativity. Based on the challenge–hindrance stressors framework (LePine, Podsakoff, & LePine, 2005) and on regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997), we argue that the effect of challenge stressors on creativity is moderated by regulatory focus. We hypothesize that while promotion focus strengthens a positive relationship between challenge stressors and creativity, prevention focus reinforces a negative relationship. Experimental data showed that high demands led to better results in a creative insight task for individuals with a strong trait promotion focus, and that high demands combined with an induced promotion focus led to better results across both creative generation and insight tasks. These results were replicated in a field R&D sample. Furthermore, we found that team promotion focus moderated the effect of challenge stressors on team creativity. The results offer both theoretical insights and suggest practical implications.

Right Hemispheric Dominance of Creative Insight: An Event-Related Potential Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hemispheric effect of creative insight. This study used high-density ERPs to record participants' brain activity while they performed an insight task. Results showed that both insight solutions and incomprehension solutions elicited a more negative ERP deflection (N320∼550) than noninsight solutions in the time window of 320∼550 msec. Scalp ERPs and topographical maps revealed that the insight N320∼550 exhibited a relative RH dominance, whereas the incomprehension N320∼550 exhibited a relative midline dominance. Dipole source analysis showed that the generator of N320∼550 elicited by insight and incomprehension solutions was localized in the right middle frontal gyrus and the right parahippocampus gyrus, respectively. These distinct spatiotemporal patterns involved in insight processing and incomprehension processing suggest that the observed N320∼550 might reflect the processing of set-shift and the formation of novel associations. Moreover, the spatiotemporal pattern of brain activation associated with insight solutions supported the idea that the right hemispheric dominance theory of creative thinking also applies to creative insight.

Gerhard Richter: Afterness: Figures of following in modern thought and aesthetics

In Afterness: Figures of Following in Modern Thought and Aesthetics, Gerhard Richter follows the same engaging approach that drove his Thought-Images: Frankfurt School Writers’ Reflections from Damaged Life (2007). While the earlier work gathered a constellation of Benjamin, Bloch, Kracauer, Derrida, and Adorno around the concept of Denkbild (‘‘thought-image’’), Richter’s latest book joins a wide-ranging body of modern thought and aesthetics using the organizing concept of Nachheit or ‘‘afterness.’’ Also like the Denkbild study, Richter’s thinking of Nachheit crystallizes around ‘‘paleonomic’’ Frankfurt School thought and concerns: Adorno, Benjamin and Bloch remain central thinkers (cf. p. 29. Also see Richter’s introduction to Thought-Images, 4–8, in which he defends his choice of rather marginal Frankfurt School thinkers based on their illuminating intellectual intersections, methods, and shared commitments). However, more sweeping constellatory arms touch Kant, Hegel, Heidegger, Arendt, Foucault, Derrida, Blanchot, Lyotard, Deleuze and others while drawing on aesthetic works from figures such as Friedrich Holderlin, Franz Kafka, Bertolt Brecht, and Stefan Moses. Indeed, Afterness is sometimes exhaustingly synthetic—sections showcasing Richter’s able handling of an encyclopedic breadth of material are interspersed with sections of more tightly-focused analysis. Breadth does not come at the expense of rigor, and Richter rewards the reader willing to hold together such diverse threads by delivering subtle, insightful, creative, and generative insights. Signaling his readers to pay attention not only to what he says but also to how he says it, Richter seems to have built the book around what appeals to him about Denkbilder (cf. Thought-Images, 1–3), his writing an aesthetic performance that engages philosophical criticism and produces theoretical insight—albeit in a longer, more developed form than Denkbild. This scholarly performance, combined with Richter’s overall fluency in the language of both Heidegger and postmodern

Switching on Creativity

Cases of savant syndrome have inspired an electrical brain stimulation technique for boosting creative insight

The development of creative cognition across adolescence: distinct trajectories for insight and divergent thinking

We examined developmental trajectories of creative cognition across adolescence. Participants (N = 98), divided into four age groups (12/13 yrs, 15/16 yrs, 18/19 yrs, and 25-30 yrs), were subjected to a battery of tasks gauging creative insight (visual; verbal) and divergent thinking (verbal; visuo-spatial). The two older age groups outperformed the two younger age groups on insight tasks. The 25-30-year-olds outperformed the two youngest age groups on the originality measure of verbal divergent thinking. No age-group differences were observed for verbal divergent thinking fluency and flexibility. On divergent thinking in the visuo-spatial domain, however, only 15/16-year-olds outperformed 12/13-year-olds; a model with peak performance for 15/16-years-old showed the best fit. The results for the different creativity processes are discussed in relation to cognitive and related neurobiological models. We conclude that mid-adolescence is a period of not only immaturities but also of creative potentials in the visuo-spatial domain, possibly related to developing control functions and explorative behavior.

Editorial: Welcome to the Special Issue on the Psychology of Religion in China

Welcome to this special issue of Pastoral Psychology on the Psychology of Religion in China. As the twenty-first century unfolds, the People’s Republic of China plays one of the central roles on the contemporary world stage. With more than 1.3 billion people, China has the largest population in the world, and its economy has sustained one of the most robust growth rates in the last 30 years. Understanding this vast and complex society and culture is thus crucial and urgent. This special issue brings together psychologists from China and the United States for a sustained exploration of the psychology of religion. We believe that the theories and methods of psychology of religion provide illuminating and creative insights into the human predicament. By expanding the horizons of psychology of religion through vigorous and critical engagement with colleagues from two profoundly different cultures and histories, we enrich our own understanding of the nature of psychology and of the nature of religion. This special issue is particularly significant for me personally and professionally. Since my marriage to my wonderful wife (a native of Shanghai) in 2001, I have found a second home in China; we now live half the time in China and the other half in California. And professionally, this special issue is important because it embodies one of my goals for making Pastoral Psychology an international forum for psychology and religion. Over the last decade, we have sought to bring together the voices of people from around the world as we seek to provide resources for serving the needs of those facing the many joys and challenges of life. This special issue was created through the hard work and energy of many people. First and foremost, I want to thank Al Dueck and Buxin Han for being guest editors. Through their efforts, they invited, nurtured, and encouraged all the authors whose papers appear in this issue. Editorial Board members James Emerson and Donald Capps have given sustained support and guidance. Editorial associates Nathan Carlin and Kathy McKay have been extraordinarily helpful through their enthusiasm for this special issue and their excellent editing skills. I hope you enjoy and learn from this marvelous panorama of papers about a wide range of fascinating and important topics on the psychology of religion in China. Pastoral Psychol (2012) 61:603 DOI 10.1007/s11089-012-0489-1

Creativity and Chaos in Waking and Dreaming States

Dynamics of creative mental activity are examined in waking and dreaming processes which manifest beyond normative waking consciousness. Some consider such phenomena to be pathological or meaningless. Alternatively they may be viewed in new and healthier ways, in the context of adaptive mental controls, using nonlinear dynamical/chaos theory. The first example involves the innovativeness reported with mild mood elevation in bipolar mood disorders, linked to a compensatory advantage model of everyday creativity. With adequate controls, such mood elevation may open adaptive creative mental possibilities (in fact, for all of us). Tension between divergent and convergent thinking—as noted by J.P. Guilford, and common to many models of creative process—can further “edge of chaos” states and raise the odds of bifurcation to new and creative chaotic attractors. The second example involves REM sleep and dream phenomena, where the self-organizing brain coordinates the dream’s component parts to generate unusual dream narratives. However fanciful, such divergent and condensed dream content may lead to creative insights and adaptive narratives (there are famous examples) in the light of day, when interpreted or further developed, by bringing convergent processing to divergent processing. In each case, one finds the abnormal is not necessarily pathological—and sometimes can be usefully exceptional. One consequence of a dynamical view and these examples is the need, in all of us, for greater openness to experience, and acceptance of a greater divergence of expression and behavior (vs. conformity) in ourselves, our culture, and our world. NeuroQuantology | June 2012 | Volume 10 | Issue 2 | Page 164-176

Nurturing young student mathematicians

Developing mathematical talent in our students should be of primary consideration in education today as nations respond to the challenges of economic crises and ever-changing technological advances. This paper describes two U.S. federally funded curriculum projects, Project M3, Mentoring Mathematical Minds, and Project M2, Mentoring Young Mathematicians for students ages 5 through 12. These projects foster in-depth understanding of advanced mathematical concepts by challenging and motivating students to solve and discuss high-level problems in a fashion similar to practicing mathematicians. The curricula have undergone national field tests with proven research results showing significant achievement gains for students studying the curricula over a comparison group of like-ability students. This paper outlines the philosophy behind each program and its connection to the literature and best practices in the fields of gifted education and mathematics education. Next, specific instructional strategies integral to both curricula are outlined. These strategies help teachers establish a community of learners that promotes rich discussions as a platform for posing and solving interesting problems, constructing viable arguments, and defending as well as critiquing solutions. Finally, strategies to help young student mathematicians develop clear and logical written justifications for their mathematical reasoning and share their creative insights are described.

Disability, Art and Potentiality: Reframing Disability as a Metaphor for Potentiality in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Background: There is a lack of studies examining the meanings attributed to disability in Eastern contexts. This is especially true in the case of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Studies – accessible for non-Farsi readers – dealing with the existence and position of persons with disabilities in contemporary Iran are rare. Purpose: The present study is part of an investigative journalistic project submitted to and approved by the Fund Pascal Decroos for Investigative Journalism. The aim of the project was to discover if and how progressive Iranian artists were able to work and express critical ideas in contemporary Iran. Method: Based on a journalistic stay of five weeks in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Yazd, the authors attempt to present a particular and up till now neglected perspective on disability in Iranian society. Interviews were conducted with contemporary Iranian artists, including painters, photographers and film directors to see how the bodily reality of disability was transformed into a meaningful, effective and efficient metaphorical instrument. Results: Some of the Iranian painters, directors and photographers considered the artistic representations of disability as a powerful means to engage in present-day political and religious public debate. For the artists the symbolic representations of disability enabled them to express their particular worldviews and give voice to their creative insights. For some, war-related disabilities mirrored the cruelty of military hostilities; for others it symbolized the struggle for freedom in Iranian society since the very beginnings of the Twentieth century. One of the results that came out of this journalistic investigation is that some Iranian artists turn towards disability issues and persons with disabilities in order to continue to publicly express their particular world-views. Conclusion: Given that the interviewed artists belonged to rather progressive circles of Iranian society, these findings are limited and cannot be generalized, but reflect one aspect of the manifold ways persons with disabilities are represented in contemporary society. In order to provide a complete view on the divergent positions of, and daily life circumstances faced by, persons with disabilities in Iran much more research is needed. DOI: 10.5463/dcid.v22i3.75

Working Memory Benefits Creative Insight, Musical Improvisation, and Original Ideation Through Maintained Task-Focused Attention

Anecdotes from creative eminences suggest that executive control plays an important role in creativity, but scientific evidence is sparse. Invoking the Dual Pathway to Creativity Model, the authors hypothesize that working memory capacity (WMC) relates to creative performance because it enables persistent, focused, and systematic combining of elements and possibilities (persistence). Study 1 indeed showed that under cognitive load, participants performed worse on a creative insight task. Study 2 revealed positive associations between time-on-task and creativity among individuals high but not low in WMC, even after controlling for general intelligence. Study 3 revealed that across trials, semiprofessional cellists performed increasingly more creative improvisations when they had high rather than low WMC. Study 4 showed that WMC predicts original ideation because it allows persistent (rather than flexible) processing. The authors conclude that WMC benefits creativity because it enables the individual to maintain attention focused on the task and prevents undesirable mind wandering.

Illegitimacy undermines leader creativity only under stable power

Power hierarchies are ubiquitous in human societies and can improve behavioral coordination, efficiency and individual incentives to climb the hierarchical ladder. However, when power differentials lack legitimacy or are unstable, power struggles and conflict may emerge, as low power people may try to seize power. Power struggles and conflict at the interpersonal level can impede interpersonal cooperation, increase interpersonal competition, and distract individuals from the task at hand (Greer & Van Kleef, 2010). Here we examined the interactive effects of legitimacy and stability of power differences at an interpersonal level, and found that under power instability, legitimacy did not alter the creativity of highpower individuals. Under power stability, however, more creative insights were achieved when power was legitimate rather than illegitimate. Implications are discussed.

Teaching Creative Science Thinking

Students' creative insights can be nurtured by promoting peer-peer learning and increasing associative thinking.

Creative Insights for Using Chinese Instruments in Contemporary Western Music: A Summary of Field Observation

Creative Insights for Using Chinese Instruments in Contemporary Western Music: A Summary of Field Observation

Toward a Social Psychology of Globalization

In most parts of the world, globalization has become an unstoppable and potent force that impacts everyday life and international relations. The articles in this issue draw on theoretical insights from diverse perspectives (clinical psychology, consumer research, organizational behavior, political psychology, and cultural psychology) to offer nuanced understanding of individuals’ psychological reactions to globalization in different parts of the world (Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, Singapore, Switzerland, United States, Taiwan). These articles address the questions of how people make sense of and respond to globalization and its sociocultural ramifications; how people defend the integrity of their heritage cultural identities against the “culturally erosive” effects of globalization, and how individuals harness creative insights from their interactions with global cultures. The new theoretical insights and revealing empirical analyses presented in this issue set the stage for an emergent interdisciplinary inquiry into the psychology of globalization.

Deep learning: how the mind overrides experience

Part I. Introduction: 1. The need to override experience 2. The nature of the enterprise Part II. Creativity: 3. The production of novelty 4. Creative insight: the redistribution theory 5. Creative insight writ large Part III. Adaptation: 6. The growth of competence 7. Error correction: the specialization theory 8. Error correction in context Part IV. Conversion: 9. The formation of belief 10. Belief revision: the resubsumption theory Part V. Conclusion: 11. Elements of a unified theory 12. The recursion curse.

Scientific Inquiry — Conceiving and Testing Hypotheses

Scientists seek to understand how the world works by the creative act of generating a possible explanation for some phenomenon and then by testing that possible explanation to determine whether it is valid. Transforming a creative insight into a hypothesis suitable for rigorous testing is an essential skill that any scientist must develop. Hypotheses are tested in a scientific study by measuring the natural world in some way and then comparing those measurements to determine whether they support or refute the hypothesis. A well designed study reduces the possibility that chance or scientific bias accounts for the results of the study. Chance can be reduced by having at least 30 test subjects and 30 controls in a study. Bias is reduced by diligent and honest effort to make the members of the study group so similar to the members of the control group that nothing distinguishes one from the other except the factor being studied. Prospective cohort studies are powerful but expensive tools for studying common diseases or injuries. Retrospective case-control studies are ideal for studying rare entities. Retrospective studies tend to be inexpensive but often lack desirable details that were not recorded at the time of the initial case investigation. For forensic practitioners to honestly call themselves scientists they should perform original scientific research to substantiate hypotheses and advance knowledge in forensic disciplines. Useful research in forensic pathology can be performed with no more investment than time and effort, but financial support is available from several sources.

Brain Change for Optimal Leadership

When top executives enter therapy, they are typically looking for remediation of a problem, but almost inevitably they are also seeking ways to enhance the effectiveness of their leadership skills and the performance of their businesses. The authors' approach, Brain Change Therapy, addresses these goals through neural and emotional state change using three modalities: deep state work with alpha/theta training, informal hypnotic conversation, and conventional therapeutic interventions. Of the three, deep state work has been found to be particularly effective in resolving trauma and releasing painful memories without intense abreaction. It involves a state of consciousness highly conducive to creative insight. This article describes an executive training program that uses all three means with particular emphasis on deep state work.