Ideational Productivity , Focus of Attention , and Context

A series of 4 experiments were conducted to investigate ideational productivity. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 were carried out under controlled conditions and involved a test of ideational productivity based on producing different interpretations of a diagram. In the first experiment, the pattern of ideational productivity of adult volunteer participants was studied over 30 min of thinking time. Experiment 2 investigated whether, as predicted by Mednick (1962), a negative correlation exists between the rate of change of productivity and the overall productivity of adult participants. Results confirmed a significant correlation, providing further support for the connectionist model of creativity put forward by Martindale (1995). Experiment 3 measured the effect of a strategy that encouraged adult volunteers to defocus their thinking before attempting to find another new interpretation of the diagram. On returning to the problem, the average time taken to produce a new interpretation was significantly reduced. These results are discussed in terms of Martindale's connectionist model and the role of context. Based on these findings, an instructional strategy was devised that might support the ideational productivity of children. In Experiment 4, the effectiveness of such a strategy was investigated within the classroom environment for children aged 8 to 10 years, and was shown to be effective in raising their ideational productivity. A creative idea is generally considered to possess two main qualities: appropriateness and originality. Most descriptions of creative problem solving thus involve both focused analytical processes and a less-focused generational process, which allows access to remotely associated concepts. Analysis ensures appro-priateness, and the inclusion of remote elements supports originality. Ideational productivity, or fluency, has been considered as an important indicator of an individual's overall creative ability and is closely correlated to the quality of ideas produced (Diehl & Stroebe, 1987). The ultimate aim of the present investigation was to determine how instructional strategy may be further used to support ideational productivity and, thereby, creativity. Wallas (1926) labelled the stages of the creative problem-solving process with the terms preparation, incubation, illumination, and insight. In the preparation stage, the individual concentrates on analysis of the problem itself and the issues surrounding it. There is then a need for a period of incubation, during which the individual may not be consciously involved with the problem at all. This is followed by an apparently effortless, sometimes inspirational, arrival of illumination with a solution that often involves knowledge only remotely associated with the …